GPS Told To Avoid Patients On Facebook

Medical doctors have being warned not to react to flirty and sexual advances coming from patients through social networking websites such as MySpace.

The Medical Defence Union (MDU) claimed it knew of many cases where patients tried to sexually proposition physicians by texting them privately through a networking website.

The MDU cautioned doctors not to respond, even if it meant to politely deny that kind of contact.

In one particular case, a female general practitioner was invited out for a casual drink by a patient as she was leaving her surgery.

The GP refused but the patient began to ‘stalk’ her on the social networking website Facebook and even had a bunch of lilies sent to her, which he discovered, via the site, were her favourite flowers.

People who are members of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook may introduce safety profiles on their account, thus ensuring other users who are only their “friends” may view their home page.

The female GP was helped by the MDU in order to stop the patient’s pestering but also showed her how to use the privacy and security settings.

MDU medico-legal adviser Dr Emma Cuzner said that the pitfalls which the doctors expose themselves while using social networking websites when they unwillingly breach confidentiality or they put up unprofessional content, such as videos and pictures, are well documented.

But according to Dr Cuzner, medical doctors may less expect their patients to use such websites like Facebook to invite them out for a drink. Some GPs have revealed to the MDU that it would be rude to deny them with answer, but since this is not a professional way of communication, any exchanges of this sort would defectively be considered to be outside the doctor/patient normal relationship.