While all of the above points may seem obvious, and while it is tempting to blow off steam in the virtual company of other students and doctors, it is important to recognise the potential problems with inappropriate social media posts, particularly those about patients.

There have been several cases reported in the media where doctors who have made derogatory comments about colleagues or patients have been reported to regulatory bodies by other social media users.

Before posting online, even in closed groups, consider what the purpose of the post is, who may read it and how easy it is for someone to take a screenshot of your post and forward it on.

Resolution

The student was given advice on how to approach this complaint, and after providing a written response and meeting with the patient and his daughter, no further action was taken. The daughter was able to explain to the student in person how unprofessional and disrespectful she had found his post, particularly at a time when her family had received bad news.

The student appreciated this and sincerely regretted the distress his post had caused.

A fifth-year student on GP placement contacted the MDU to seek advice on a social media message he had received from a doctor. A few days earlier the student had seen an elderly patient in clinic with a significantly raised tumour marker. His supervising GP mentioned that the tumour marker level was the highest he'd seen.

Later that evening, the student posted in a closed Facebook group for doctors and medical students with the suggestion that they play 'top trumps' and shared the patient's blood test result. Several other members of the group then posted the highest level of the tumour marker they had come across.

A few days later the student got a private message from a GP in the group who had seen his post. The GP explained that her father had called her with the bad news that his tumour marker was raised and was audibly upset by this.

She also explained that when she had read the student's post, she realised it was describing her father's case; the test result figure shared was the same as that which her father had relayed to her and had been posted on the same day he had received his news. She was able to confirm her suspicions by looking at the student's Facebook profile, where she was able to glean that the student was on placement at the practice where her father was registered.

She was extremely angry that her father's health and recent bad news had been used for humorous 'banter' online. She demanded a written apology and explanation to be sent to her father, with the threat of a complaint to the student's medical school if she remained dissatisfied.

Guidance and advice

The above scenario is fictional, but representative of the increasing number of queries we receive relating to social media. The GMC's 'Doctors' use of social media' (2013) outlines the general principles for doctors to consider when posting online and contains two paragraphs very relevant to this case.

Of course, good practice begins at medical school, and the GMC has similar advice for students engaging in social media and online forums. 'Achieving good medical practice: guidance for medical students' (2016) lists a series of social media dos and don'ts for students to consider:

Unfortunately many doctors are led into a false sense of security by the fact they are posting in a closed group which is intended solely for doctors. The illusion of security is often supported by the fact that some groups ask for prospective members to provide their real name and GMC number by way of checking they are actually a doctor.