Social networking warning to doctors
DOCTORS are being warned not to respond to patients who approach them with requests to be their friends on social networking websites.
The British Medical Association has issued new guidelines to staff who use sites such as Facebook and Twitter, urging them to avoid coming into contact with people they have treated and to keep their distance online.
The BMA fears boundaries between medics and patients risk being blurred by such requests, and said doctors and medical students should make sure their privacy settings are set conservatively at all times.
They have also warned doctors to be careful of what they post as they may risk breaching patients confidentiality even if they do not name them.
Dr Alan Robertson, a junior doctor member of the BMAs Scottish Council and user of social media, said: Its really important for doctors who are using Twitter, for example, to think about what they are posting and the implications of what they are saying as it is such a public forum.
Its also important to set privacy settings that enable doctors to be part of social networking groups without compromising their professional roles.
Although cases of doctors being stalked online are rare, some have reported patients trying to become close to them after contacting them on Facebook.
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