Social media supporting material - case studies

Protecting patient confidentiality in digital spaces

Be cautious about sharing patient information in online professional networking spaces, including social media groups, messaging apps, and discussion forums intended for healthcare professionals to exchange ideas and advice.

Charlie

Charlie, a recent dental graduate, joins a clinic in her hometown. Demonstrating strong clinical skills and great at building rapport with her patients, she quickly earns the respect of her colleagues, who hear positive feedback from her patients. One of her colleagues invites her to join a WhatsApp group, which is used for knowledge sharing, case discussions, professional networking and updates on professional development opportunities.   

After several weeks on the WhatsApp group, which has around 500 members, Charlie feels confident enough to begin contributing there. She begins by sharing details about particularly interesting cases that she believes the other professionals would also find educational. Charlie progresses to sharing before and after photos of her patients, which she believes are sufficiently anonymised. However, some group members recognise one of the patients and decide to flag and challenge the posts in the WhatsApp group.

See how Charlie used her professional judgement to deal with the situation…

Charlie regrets sharing patient information and decides to leave the WhatsApp group immediately. She was upset that her colleagues challenged her conduct, and embarrassed that other professionals witnessed this exchange. She goes into work the next day and is called in by the Practice Manager to discuss the incident.

During the discussion, she acknowledges that she should have been more careful when selecting patient information to share in the group, reacted too quickly by exiting the group, and a that a more appropriate response would have been to take responsibility for her mistake and delete the posts. This would have allowed her to demonstrate to a group of fellow professionals that she recognised she had done something wrong but was able to learn from her mistakes. It would also allow her to continue to gain from the valuable peer learning from the WhatsApp group. 

Charlie asks to rejoin the group and apologises for sharing information where patients could be identified.

Charlie also consults the practice’s confidentiality policy, which outlines the procedures for addressing a confidentiality breach, as well as the GDC Professional Guidance and Supporting Materials that cover topics such as digital communications, data protection, and privacy.

Discussion points

• Why are maintaining patient confidentiality and confidence in the profession so important?
• What are the potential consequences of breaching patient confidentiality?
• What is best practice for handling patient information digitally/online?
• What was the likely emotional impact on Charlie of having to inform the patient of what has happened? What do you think a patient’s reaction would be to seeing this post and reading the comments, and what might be the possible consequences?
• What does the GDC guidance stipulate regarding social media?

Using your professional judgement to assess how to appropriately engage with social media posts.

Sheldon

Sheldon is a dental hygienist with over 10 years of experience. He has public social media accounts that show his full name and a current profile picture. However, he doesn’t consider himself active on social media, as he doesn’t create his own posts, he only interacts by liking or resharing content from others.

Sheldon loves all genres of comedy, including dark humour. After having a tiring day at work, he likes to spend a few minutes going through his favourite comedians’ social media pages to help him disconnect from work. When Sheldon finds a post that he finds really entertaining, he usually likes it or reshares it, which will then be visible on his own profile.

At the practice where he works, the line management team decides to review their social media policy and to introduce yearly mandatory training on social media. While undergoing this training, Sheldon realises that his social media profile could easily be found by patients and work colleagues, who might perceive his personal appreciation for dark humour as offensive or inappropriate.

See how Sheldon used his professional judgement to deal with the situation…

Once Sheldon realised how easy it would be for his social media profile and activity to be found, he also acknowledged that his engagement with dark humour posts may be perceived differently by different people. He also understands that some of the dark humour jokes he engages with might be perceived as offensive or inappropriate, even though Sheldon had no ill intentions and was only looking at these posts during his own spare time.

To avoid damaging trust in the dental profession by being seen as offensive or inappropriate, Sheldon removes any identifying details from his account, sets it to private, and becomes more careful about what he likes or reshares. He feels that these steps help him maintain his privacy and enjoy his personal interests without risking the public’s trust in the profession or his own reputation.

Other Guidance

Guidance on using social media (gdc-uk.org)

Discussion points

How could Sheldon’s actions potentially impact patient’s confidence in the profession if they found his social media profiles?

How might those looking at his profile perceive his social media activity?

How could Sheldon ensure that his conduct, whether in a professional or personal capacity, maintains trust in the profession?

What could happen if a patient found his social media profile, considered his reshares offensive, and decide to take action against Sheldon?

Professionalism and Social Media

Using your professional judgement to appropriately share political content on social media.

Ana

Ana is an experienced dentist who regularly uses social media to engage in current affairs, including political debates. Her personal profile is public and occasionally references her work in dentistry. She values being able to express her views but is also mindful of the responsibilities that come with being a healthcare professional. In the lead-up to a general election, Ana shared a video from another social media account about a political party that included offensive language and stereotypes.

After some reflection…

After some reflection, Ana sought feedback from her professional mentor, who helped Ana recognise that the content was inappropriate and could be seen as promoting division or disrespect. She promptly removed the post and made a mental note to be more cautious in the future, especially where the content could be misinterpreted or seen as offensive.

A few weeks later, Ana shared a well-reasoned article outlining views on a government policy affecting public services. The article was balanced, but politically critical. Some followers disagreed with her stance, and one patient questioned whether it was appropriate for a healthcare professional to comment publicly on such matters. In this case, Ana chose to keep the post, believing it was important to express her views respectfully, and that doing so did not breach professional standards.

This experience helped Ana reflect on the balance between personal expression and professional identity. While she is entitled to express political opinions, she now considers not only whether something is legally acceptable, but also how it might affect how she’s perceived, and as a result how the dental profession is perceived by the public.

Ana’s ‘take home’ learnings

Dental professionals are expected to uphold the reputation of the profession and avoid actions that could undermine public confidence. While freedom of expression is a fundamental right, professionals should carefully consider the tone, content and context of anything they post, like, or share online.

Professionals must avoid engaging in any activity, online or offline, that is illegal or damages public confidence in the profession. Beyond that, they should reflect on the potential impact of their actions from both a personal and professional perspective, including the impact on a dental practice they may be working from.

A note: Be mindful that people may respond in different ways: If your social media is public, it's possible that patients or colleagues might see or even comment on your posts.

Discussion Points

• What kinds of posts or interactions would you consider removing—and why?
• Are your social media posts and interactions appropriate?
• Do you consider the implications of your social media posts and interactions before clicking a button?