PHOTOS: WALTER NEILSON


02 FYi


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Welcome News


BIG RISE IN DOCTORS


SEEKING SOCIAL MEDIA ADVICE THE number of doctors seeking advice on the use of social media has jumped 74 per cent in the past year, MDDUS has revealed. The UK-wide medical defence organisation reported a large


Welcome to your FYi


NEW year, new you, or so the saying goes. And as 2015 is now well underway, perhaps now is a good time to think about the future? Have you decided which specialty is right for you, or are you just not sure which path to follow? My article on page 4 looks at the various options available and offers some advice on making that all-important decision, with links to psychometric testing and the Royal Colleges. While we try to decide on a


specialty, our career feature on page 8 focuses on the varied field of renal medicine, where doctors can enjoy lifelong patient care relationships. On page 5 doctor-turned-writer Allan Gaw takes a different track by examining the motives of some famous names who left behind a career in medicine to pursue other interests. Consent is a crucial part of medical practice but is not


always straightforward. MDDUS medical adviser Dr Naeem Nazem highlights some key risk areas and offers practical advice on getting it right on page 10. Ethics features in most of the decisions doctors make, but it can generate uncertainty. Dr John Dudgeon offers a quick, practical guide on page 12. All F1 doctors have to tackle


core procedures and on page 6, Dr Sophie Ludlum offers tips on performing IV infusion of blood and blood products, injection of local anaesthetic and subcutaneous injections. On page 7, Dr Caroline Millar highlights the importance of good communication in ensuring out-of-hours test results are not lost in the system, while on page 14 we explore allegations of negligence and lack of consent in our case study.


• Dr Anne Parfitt-Rogers Editor


increase in advice calls between 2013 and 2014. While a small part of the rise could be attributed to a growth in membership, MDDUS said it now receives four times as many social media-related calls compared to 2011.


Medical adviser Dr Naeem Nazem urged caution when interacting


with patients on sites like Facebook and Twitter. “Social media offers a platform for doctors to network effectively and develop their own knowledge and expertise,” he said. “However, the rise of social media has created some serious ethical challenges for doctors and their relationship with patients. We have handled a number of cases where doctors have sought advice from us regarding social media issues. “Doctors must keep their relationship with patients professional at


all times. Accepting a Facebook friend request from a patient or commenting on a post risks blurring the boundaries between a professional and personal relationship. As a consequence, doctors may find that their ability to make objective judgements in clinical situation is affected.” Dr Nazem warned doctors that they are “never off duty” and their


status in the public eye “demands a high standard of conduct at all times. “By interacting with patients online, doctors are exposing


themselves to be scrutinised from their own homes,” he said. Patient confidentiality can also be at risk when doctors use social media. Doctors are urged to never share patient information online, especially where it might identify an individual. Even with appropriate privacy settings in place, Dr Nazem warned that anything posted online may end up being distributed further than intended. The General Medical Council offers guidance on the use of social


media in Maintaining a professional boundary between you and your patient, which states: “you must consider the potential risks involved in using social media and the impact that inappropriate use could have on your patients’ trust in you and society’s trust in the medical profession. Social media can blur the boundaries between a doctor’s personal and professional lives and may change the nature of the relationship between a doctor and a patient.”


EDITOR: Dr Anne Parfitt-Rogers


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Joanne Curran


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FYi is published by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, Registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.


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