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Doctors on Facebook - Is It A Problem? |
Facebook (www.facebook.com) is currently the largest online social network. Many doctors are members of Facebook and in many cases personal details are publicly visible. A recent study in the Journal of Medical Ethics questioned doctors at the Rouen University Hospital, France about their Facebook activity and questions whether it impacts the doctor-patient relationship.
The study found that personal details such as date of birth and current position were on the profiles of the majority of respondents. 15% replied that they would consider accepting an invitation from a patient to be a "friend". 48% of respondents believed that the doctor–patient relationship would be altered if patients discovered that their doctor had a Facebook account.
As more people register for social networking sites the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has warned about the potential hazards facing doctors using such sites such inappropriate comments that may breach patient confidentiality to amorous advances from patients via social networks.
Link to article in Journal of Medical Ethics.
Link to MDU Article |
