What happened?

The posting was seen by a member of staff and sent to the Medical Director. Disciplinary action was instigated and he was given a written warning by the hospital. This was not referred to the Medical Council due to the doctor’s apology and he deleted all work-related comments on Facebook.

The point here is that although there is no breach of confidentiality, as a doctor you should be professional at all times.

The point here is that although there is no breach of confidentiality, as a doctor you should be professional at all times

A number of issues arise with the increased use of social networking; in particular, patient confidentiality and professionalism. The principle of confidentiality is central to trust between patients and doctors. The Medical Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics states that: “Patients are entitled to expect that information about them will be held in confidence. You should not disclose confidential patient information to others except in certain limited circumstances, outlined in paragraphs 26 to 30.”