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BMA warns doctors off social networking sites

The British Medical Association (BMA) has warned doctors off befriending patients on sites such as Facebook and Twitter to avoid possible breaches of confidentiality.

New published guidance says that GPs should not post "informal, personal or derogatory comments" against patients on social networking sites and follows similar guidance from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which has stated that a number of members of staff have been struck off for "improper" use of Facebook. The NMC has also said that the sites should not be used for whistle-blowing or the raising of concerns generally.

The chair of the BMA's medical ethics committee, Tony Calland, said that while most doctors would not accept "friend requests" from patients on Facebook, a minority would and he said that it would be "wholly inappropriate for doctors to disclose information about their patients online".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/14/facebook-doctor-patient

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