Doctor complaining about patient on Facebook...

[Foogirl]

ok well I still stand by my belief that it is wrong.

Oh I tend to agree. It is not something I would do.

It is against company policy btw, but they are reviewing it as she didn't divulge the patient's name, etc. The company has a pretty strict social media policy actually.

In that case, I'd say regardless of whether she breeched confidentiality, she has broken her contract with her employer as their name has been dragged in to it.

I am a doctor and although i never put anything about my patients on facebook, i do vent to family and friends sometimes. All my colleagues do. We just know not to identify the patient.

This is where, for me, it becomes a grey area. Isn't doing the same thing on FB just a sign of our times? Is it better to rant to a few friends in person or to a few more on Facebook. I'm not sure how public her post was as the piece only said it was locked down now, was it open before?

As I said, not something I'd do on FB, but I suppose I can see why others might be tempted.

 

[steph.]

ok well I still stand by my belief that it is wrong.

Oh I tend to agree. It is not something I would do.

It is against company policy btw, but they are reviewing it as she didn't divulge the patient's name, etc. The company has a pretty strict social media policy actually.

In that case, I'd say regardless of whether she breeched confidentiality, she has broken her contract with her employer as their name has been dragged in to it.

I am a doctor and although i never put anything about my patients on facebook, i do vent to family and friends sometimes. All my colleagues do. We just know not to identify the patient.

This is where, for me, it becomes a grey area. Isn't doing the same thing on FB just a sign of our times? Is it better to rant to a few friends in person or to a few more on Facebook. I'm not sure how public her post was as the piece only said it was locked down now, was it open before?

As I said, not something I'd do on FB, but I suppose I can see why others might be tempted.

I think it is quite different to say something to a few select people in person, rather than posting it on facebook. For a start on fb it will be written down, on the internet, which is very hard to control exactly who sees it and who shares it. Even if only her friends could see it, that is probably more than 100 people.

 

[Dk1234]

Personally I don't think she did anything wrong until she said prior stillbirth. That's too personal. Dr's are human too. My mom is a Dr. And she would never do this and I do think it is rather unprofessional but she didn't give any personal information until the comment about the prior still birth. That's too personal to talk about on fb.

 

[Jaylynne]

The stillbirth comment pissed me off. And I would hope she would be smarter than to post about a patient and something obviously work related. It's simply not professional and poor judgement and I would hope my OB would have those qualities.

The damage is already done and she's been quite publicly shamed. Firing her really wouldn't serve much purpose.

It's just simply not right. She was careless. I don't post anything work related on my Facebook. Or if I need to rant, I generalize to the point no one could even say it was work related. Luckily my coworkers and I share rants and get it out of our systems!

 

[Andypanda6570]

Yes she is a person but she is also a doctor and held in a higher regard when it comes to being professional and talking about things, if she wants to talk let her do it with family in person not on FaceBook. Sorry I just feel she is wrong . Maybe not be fired but definitely reprimanded

 

[Tasha]

I wouldnt want her as my doctor, thats for sure. She doesnt sound sympathetic at all, I am never late for doctors appointments but I am terrified of doctors and induction etc since my girls were stillborn.

I know that she is in a stressful job but unless you only have very close friends and family on your fb then you are running a huge risk, I mean you wouldnt just tell all 150 people near you which is affectively what facebook is doing. It does read as if it were open and she was sharing with everyone before this situation, so I guess the patient could of seen.

 

[lhancock90]

Doctors are people too, they are allowed to rant and vent, of course its unprofessional. I hope she doesn't get sacked for it.

 

[Foogirl]

I mean you wouldnt just tell all 150 people near you which is affectively what facebook is doing. It does read as if it were open and she was sharing with everyone before this situation, so I guess the patient could of seen.

But if you rant to a few friends / family, it's not unreasonable to think that rant might be repeated to others, then to others. If you are out with the girls having a rant, it's possible others around will over hear. Is that any different to ranting to 100 people at once on Facebook? I don't agree with doing it, just wondering if it's just a sign of the times and thinking about why those who do it might think it is ok.

 

[Tasha]

But if you rant to a few friends / family, it's not unreasonable to think that rant might be repeated to others, then to others. If you are out with the girls having a rant, it's possible others around will over hear. Is that any different to ranting to 100 people at once on Facebook? I don't agree with doing it, just wondering if it's just a sign of the times and thinking about why those who do it might think it is ok.

Yup, it is. That is why my Mum (a nurse) would never rant about work in a public place. She doesnt discuss it with anyone aside from my Dad, me and my siblings and always within the house, no details etc.

I think it is a sign of the times to a degree, also just forgetting what a public platform facebook is. Like she probably wouldnt deliberately share it with over 100 people by getting a microphone at a party and saying what she said.

 

[Pink Flowers]

I work as a carer and we can lose our jobs if we put any about the people we looked after.

I think it was the part about mentioning the previous still birth as it made her do it on purpose, it must have been really hard for her, and seeing that on facebook or in the news paper must have fell worse.

I think there is a time a place to say things, maybe to a college or family not publicly on facebook.

But that being said we are in a age where social media is the first port of call when people have things to say.

 

[Pearls18]

I mean you wouldnt just tell all 150 people near you which is affectively what facebook is doing. It does read as if it were open and she was sharing with everyone before this situation, so I guess the patient could of seen.

But if you rant to a few friends / family, it's not unreasonable to think that rant might be repeated to others, then to others. If you are out with the girls having a rant, it's possible others around will over hear. Is that any different to ranting to 100 people at once on Facebook? I don't agree with doing it, just wondering if it's just a sign of the times and thinking about why those who do it might think it is ok.

It's possible other will over hear you talking, it is almost certain a lot of people who you wouldn't ordinarily rant to will hear what you are saying on social networking sites ESPECIALLY if your privacy settings aren't well set which is easy to mistake. People have got to realise social networking is not the same a personal interaction with these things, it isn't private, you are writing your thoughts down. The very fact this has come to light demonstrates it isn't private. This woman needs to be served as a lesson to others, not just doctors as I have said, but anybody in a professional capacity. Times are changing and we need to keep up before we are standing in front of a tribunal trying to defend our actions. People are far too niave of social networking (not you, people in general it's a good question to ask!)

 

[Dk1234]

do we know she had a lot of friends? maybe she is only friends with a few people.

 

[Pearls18]

do we know she had a lot of friends? maybe she is only friends with a few people.

We know it went viral to the point it was in the media, that's enough, it proves she shared too much to people she shouldn't have done.

 

[Dk1234]

good point

 

[smokey]

do we know she had a lot of friends? maybe she is only friends with a few people.

We know it went viral to the point it was in the media, that's enough, it proves she shared too much to people she shouldn't have done.

But it was one of the people on her fb that took a screen shot and reported it, its not been made clear if her fb was set to private or not.
It could have been a case of a private fb with just a few work colleges.

 

[LegoHouse]

I'm not allowed to bitch about my OH work on Facebook so I don't think a doctor should be able to do it lol

 

[Pearls18]

do we know she had a lot of friends? maybe she is only friends with a few people.

We know it went viral to the point it was in the media, that's enough, it proves she shared too much to people she shouldn't have done.

But it was one of the people on her fb that took a screen shot and reported it, its not been made clear if her fb was set to private or not.
It could have been a case of a private fb with just a few work colleges.

That doesn't matter, end of the day whoever did it isn't an issue, it happened and proves you shouldn't put things on Facebook, if she only had 5 trusted friends it proves my point even more, Facebook, twitter, whatever isn't private.

 

[Foogirl]

I think the only difference is it can be proven beyond doubt. She could have ranted to the same 5 colleagues in a bar, it could have been overheard and reported but without evidence the media wouldn't have picked it up. Where I think it's hypocritical is, if she'd written a letter to a newspaper's letter page, or had it printed as a journalistic piece, both of which I've seen doctors do before, it would have been considered ok.

 

[smokey]

do we know she had a lot of friends? maybe she is only friends with a few people.

We know it went viral to the point it was in the media, that's enough, it proves she shared too much to people she shouldn't have done.

But it was one of the people on her fb that took a screen shot and reported it, its not been made clear if her fb was set to private or not.
It could have been a case of a private fb with just a few work colleges.

That doesn't matter, end of the day whoever did it isn't an issue, it happened and proves you shouldn't put things on Facebook, if she only had 5 trusted friends it proves my point even more, Facebook, twitter, whatever isn't private.

Or as I said before, be carfull what back stabbing git you have on your fb and thought was a friend

 

[Dragonfly]

I have a lot of professionals as friends, docs, teachers, nurses, midwives and never seen any of the post like that. Not bitching from them, not even saying they where at work or tired which would be acceptable to say. But bitching about patients in public to is not on it would make me uncomfortable. Note I said in public as I am sure they do it at work or to friends anyway as they do have a right to vent and are human. But on facebook publicly is not right. Not professional at all. Creates a distrust towards medical staff. I would be mortified if a nurse bitched about me on their facebook and every one including me could see it. She should have chosen a list that could see it, work staff etf if she likes to vent. Even if I seen someone who had clients bitch I would probably not approach them with my money.