This is a hit piece with a divisive agenda. Patients vs. the health establishment. Us vs. them. I had to stop reading. I am not convinced this is widespread behavior. Yes, if I saw myself on social media without consent, I would go straight to the college or professional association with a privacy violation complaint. But this article is just trying to fuel hatred.
I work in operating rooms, and while I think you make a good point, I don’t entirely agree with your comment. I do think that healthcare professionals have a responsibility to be held accountable for their behaviour - and the social medical MedTok thing is disgusting, and ultimately bad for healthcare as an industry that is in the business of caring - because this is exploitation of people who are generally vulnerable in one way or another.
I think using surgery/medical procedures for entertainment is unethical and irresponsible even if consent is given. Firstly in addition to privacy concerns, there is also concerns around being distracted while doing surgery, and infection control risks. For that reason, I don’t think any responsible healthcare practitioners that had their patients well-being at the forefront of their mind would be indulging in that kind of behaviour.
However, I think there is a place for surgery to be shown to the general public, but from an educational perspective for both healthcare professionals that are learning, but also for people to know what happens to their bodies when they have surgery. It should not be some unknown exclusive mystery. (I think the mystery of it is what makes it appealing as a form of entertainment.)
However, I think the sharing of medical procedures should be done responsibly, and accurately, and not for entertainment - which has a tendency to overdramatise things, or misrepresent things.
My biggest daily drama in an operating room is actually often dealing with the anxiety patients have around coming in for their procedures because what they expect to happen is so warped by biased representation’s of what happens in operating rooms.
I think the article does bring to light some issues in healthcare being used as a form of entertainment
My personal experience is that some surgeons (definitely not all of them) are particularly prone to suffering from hubris - at which point they genuinely believe they can do anything they want and it’ll be fine, and god have mercy on anyone who tries to tell them they’re wrong.
> However, I think there is a place for surgery to be shown to the general public, but from an educational perspective for both healthcare professionals that are learning, but also for people to know what happens to their bodies when they have surgery.
Absolutely. Obviously not for every patient as some are more squeamish than others.
I recently underwent a surgical procedure. It was great to be able to find several recorded procedures on YouTube. The videos were recorded in an academic context rather than sensational clickbait, it definitely made going into the procedure easier.
How many does it take to be widespread (or more crucially, addressable) behavior, is it N+you?
Yes, if I saw myself on social media without consent, I would go straight to the college or professional association with a privacy violation complaint. But this article is just trying to fuel hatred.
Are there any release documents for doctors that you can cite that include a patient appearing, either knowingly or unknowingly, in social media? I know this sounds sarcastic because it's so ludicrous but if they exist I would like to know.
Traditional broadcasters have been making medical documentaries, which often show patients, for years. Presumably they've figured out bulletproof release documents. It's clearly not particularly hard to find people who will agree to be on TV for no obvious benefit to them.
In fact I could see an unscrupulous doctor being able to write one vague enough to do it without the person knowing it's going to be in social media. No idea where that would go with ethics boards and such, though.
I don’t know about citable release forms, but there are certainly plastic surgery practices that will give you a discount for being able to use your photos for marketing.
We don’t need a hit piece anyone in the US shouldn’t be surprised by this. It’s the norm to deal with dismissive doctors and nurses saying inappropriate things about patients. That they are also exploiting patients for views is the least bad part about our current system.
That i have to go to 5 doctors to even find one who will take the time to listen to my issue is the problem.
There are a bunch of people who want to be doctors, a bunch of people who want to build hospitals and clinics, and a bunch of people who want prompt and affordable care.
There are impediments to all of these groups doing what they need to do.
> Patients vs. the health establishment. Us vs. them.
Well, yeah; that's the point of the article. That doctors are publicly displaying this attitude on social media, and it's becoming more and more normalized.
I've seen it. I've been victim to it. It's a real thing, causing real harm, and it's not talked about enough.
There are systemic reasons for this, which are worth addressing and exploring, but don't need to be addressed in every article that touches on the subject.
> this article is just trying to fuel hatred.
I don't think that's a fair assessment. This is a real and widespread culture problem. You can see it for yourself, if you choose to.
Casting doubt that this problem exists, while smearing (sourced and verified) pieces that address it as a "hit piece", is just sweeping a big problem under a very squishy rug.
If it's a problem that seems to be growing in frequency, I find it completely fair to draw attention to the issue this way.
Reinforce in medical professionals that patient privacy is crucial and that explicit, informed consent is not negotiable when it comes to sharing their stories on socials (with the exception of anonymised medical papers created for academic purposes).
It doesn't have to be widespread to do a lot of harm.
The worst of the homeless -- street homeless, pushing stolen shopping carts -- are a tiny minority, but it's what everyone remembers. It harms both public perception of unhoused individuals and the way public policy regarding homelessness gets made.
I have a couple doctor friends, and they on occasion share to a private group chat anonymized screenshots of humorous patient intakes and reports, and retell stories of the amusing situations they get into and patients they encounter. There's also some tales of drama between staff and how silly some of their mandatory racial/gender/body-positivity seminars are.
They're otherwise more diligent and ethically minded than their coworkers in how they attend to patients and happen to be very progressive politically. I believe they see it as irreverent gossip about work just like any other profession, although sometimes to me it seems like TMI.
It doesn't shock me though, my grandfather told me stories of how at NYU Medical & Dentistry school he and other students in the late 1930s would prank subway-goers by leaving a purse with a cadaver body part inside.
While gossip to private circles may be widespread, I am unsure if public sharing is.
I can tell you right now that if I found out I was a patient of one of your doctor friends whose medical information was shared, even anonymized, with their friend circle for a laugh I'd be furious and looking for heads to roll.
Maybe it only seems divisive depending on what side of the divide you find yourself.
I've seen a lot of hateful, unhinged, divisive attacks from the health establishment on ordinary people in the past few years. Much of it cheered on by people in internet forums such as this one.
Agreed. Professionals like doctors in general have something to lose - it makes little sense for them to break patient confidentiality plus a number of laws to promote themselves on Instagram.
On other hand the gazillion self taught quacks and wannabe influencers out there won't be bothered by morals and a few laws if the price is a thousand more followers.
Agreed.
In articles like this you could detail 20 cases which makes it feels like it’s a lot. Then you go see how much is actually 20 cases in comparison with all the ethical doctors on TikTok and you realize that it’s a really small percentage, almost negligible.
And for those who do this and get caught (like for every other unethical or illegal behavior) the punishment is usually swift and clear, considering that in the medical profession you might not be indicted but you could still lose your license. So yes, hit piece with an agenda.
The problem with that attitude is what you do with the information that at least one out of 20 million (US) healthcare workers has committed a privacy infraction.
Yes, it was wrong for that one person to do that. Yes, they should face appropriate consequences in order to attempt to make the victim whole, to change their own behavior, and to serve as a warning/deterrent to reduce the probability that their peers will make the same mistake.
But one infraction does not mean that people should stop going to the doctor; that harm is a negligible, infinitesimal fraction of the benefit that medical professionals provide to our society. A news article warning about "Doctors on TikTok" will, at the margins, cause some people to not seek care they need, and can cause far more harm than one instance of this behavior.
