Page 15 - 2021 Risk Reduction Series - Communication Part Two

SVMIC Risk Reduction Series: Communication

challenging scenarios, such as a blog post about a difficult

patient to which the patient’s family member has access, or a
medical resident who asks a patient for a date after he learns

she is single via a social networking site.

Furthermore, something seemingly innocuous when taken out
of context could reach and be misinterpreted by an unintended

audience (patients, superiors, future employers). Even an
innocent joke can be easily misinterpreted by the reader as the

reader does not have the advantage of seeing facial expressions
or hearing a tone of voice. These misunderstandings can lead

to a tarnished reputation and may have far reaching and serious
consequences as well. Recently, a number of examples of both

questionable behavior as well as ethical and legal violations
have popped up in the news media and medical literature.

Violations of confidentiality were noted in a study of physicians’
blog posts that provided sufficient information to identify

patients. Privacy and confidentially were also violated when
photos of patients in the midst of operations were posted on a

social networking site. Postings that violate HIPAA and lead to
civil and criminal liabilities imposed by the government may also

lead to civil lawsuits alleging breach of privacy.

Moreover, social media can be a distraction. Many jobs in

the healthcare field have significant down time even during
procedures – anesthesiologists and perfusionists, to name a

couple. Often, these providers access their social media and
the internet during this down time. In the event of an adverse

outcome and a claim is asserted, it would be an obstacle to the
defense if it were discovered that the provider was on social

media or the internet during the patient’s procedure. In 2011,
there was a case that involved a 61-year-old female, who died in

a Dallas medical facility during a surgery to correct an irregular

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