Social media for doctors

Being aware of professional boundaries extends to the use of social media. The media has reported examples of healthcare professionals revealing confidential patient information on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other forums. Healthcare professionals who fail to restrict access to their private lives risk damaging their professional image and that of the profession in general.

Medical Protection's advice is that everything posted to social networks should be treated as if it is something that has been written down; it is never truly anonymous and exists in perpetuity, meaning that the chances of such comments being traced to the author should never be disregarded. Comments made innocently about patients, treatments, or particular procedures can potentially breach confidentiality, especially if they mention unusual symptoms or conditions. Multiple pieces of seemingly anonymous information could add to up to a bigger picture.

Social media is an arena within which healthcare professionals must tread carefully, mindful of their responsibility to maintain public trust and the standing of the profession. For this reason, MPS strongly advises against adding patients as “friends” on sites such as Facebook.

Additional information can be found in the following article Pitfalls of social media

Professional integrity

Honesty and integrity are central to probity and define how any professional person should act. This is vital in healthcare because trust is an essential part of the relationship between a healthcare professional and a patient. Patients and others often confide a great deal of personal and private information to healthcare professionals, so complete faith in their professionalism is required.

A duty to be honest and open covers all aspects of professional practice, including when:

• Writing a CV and applying for jobs
• Preparing medical reports
• Record-keeping
• Signing or completing documents
• Giving evidence or acting as a witness
• Co-operating with any complaint or investigation
• Assisting the coroner or procurator fiscal with inquests or inquiries into a patient’s death

This means taking reasonable steps to verify information in the documents and not deliberately leaving out relevant information.

For more advice on acting honestly and with integrity please see our article on Probity

Acting with integrity also requires healthcare professionals to be open and honest with patients if things go wrong. The GMC advise doctors that “If a patient under your care has suffered harm or distress, you should:

(a) put matters right (if that is possible)

(b) offer an apology

(c) explain fully and promptly what has happened and the likely short-term and long-term effects.”

For more information and advice on what to do when things go wrong, please read our article: Chapter 4: Professionalism - What to do when things go wrong

Health and care regulators are not only interested in how healthcare professionals practice in a clinical setting. They also take an interest in some matters that can arise in a professional’s personal life. An example of this is the requirement of doctors to inform the GMC of any criminal charges, convictions or if a “caution” has been accepted, even if the incident leading to the caution, charge or conviction is not related to medical practice. A similar duty of disclosure is expected of other healthcare professions including dentists and nurses.

The types of things that are likely to concern the GMC include, misuse of drugs, drink-driving, safeguarding concerns and physical violence. All these scenarios could bring public confidence in the profession into question and raise concerns about an individual doctor’s professionalism and fitness to practice.

For more information about how the GMC would investigate such a concern, please go to How do FTP hearings work?

Medical students and trainees

Professionalism does not begin on the first day of graduation as a healthcare professional. When training in a trusted and respected profession, there is an expectation that students will demonstrate a high standard of behaviour at all times. The GMC, GDC, and NMC all publish clear guidance for students on expected standards of care and behaviour.