Doctors warned of online advances
Source: Agencies |
December 3, 2009, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A BRITISH association which provides legal advice and support to doctors has said they should not respond to amorous advances from patients on social networking sites.
The Medical Defence Union said it was aware of cases where patients attempted to proposition doctors by sending them messages on Facebook or similar sites.
It is advising its members that responding to patients in this way may be seen as overstepping the boundary of the doctor/patient relationship.
"The pitfalls posed to doctors using social networking sites by inadvertently breaching confidentiality or posting unprofessional content, such as photos, have been well documented," the organization's medico-legal adviser Dr Emma Cuzner said.
Relationship
But she said doctors may be less prepared for patients using sites such as Facebook to ask them out on a date.
"Some doctors have told the MDU they feel it would be rude not to reply, if only to politely refuse, but given that this is not a professional route of communication, any correspondence of this sort would clearly stray outside the doctor/patient relationship."
The MDU cited a case in which a female doctor was asked out for a drink by a patient as she left her surgery. When she declined, the patient started pestering the doctor via Facebook and sent her a bunch of her favorite flowers, which he had ascertained from her Facebook page.
The MDU said it helped the GP nip the patient's advances in the bud, and also suggested she considered employing some of the security and privacy settings on the site.
The Medical Defence Union said it was aware of cases where patients attempted to proposition doctors by sending them messages on Facebook or similar sites.
It is advising its members that responding to patients in this way may be seen as overstepping the boundary of the doctor/patient relationship.
"The pitfalls posed to doctors using social networking sites by inadvertently breaching confidentiality or posting unprofessional content, such as photos, have been well documented," the organization's medico-legal adviser Dr Emma Cuzner said.
Relationship
But she said doctors may be less prepared for patients using sites such as Facebook to ask them out on a date.
"Some doctors have told the MDU they feel it would be rude not to reply, if only to politely refuse, but given that this is not a professional route of communication, any correspondence of this sort would clearly stray outside the doctor/patient relationship."
The MDU cited a case in which a female doctor was asked out for a drink by a patient as she left her surgery. When she declined, the patient started pestering the doctor via Facebook and sent her a bunch of her favorite flowers, which he had ascertained from her Facebook page.
The MDU said it helped the GP nip the patient's advances in the bud, and also suggested she considered employing some of the security and privacy settings on the site.
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