Doctors use of social media and freedom of expression - Dr. Sam White
Over the last two years there has been a constant stream of information regarding the COVID19 pandemic from the NHS, the World Health Organisation and other health related organisations. These include information for the public on how to prevent and manage COVID19 infection as well as sometimes mandatory advice on several aspects of patients lives, including compulsory lock down, isolation and the use of face masks to name a few.
Social media has been used by the government and NHS as one means of getting the official guidance to the public. However, at the same time, there may be opinions on social media that appear to contradict or challenge the official guidance, whether this is regarding the risks and effectivities of vaccines, or the need for lock downs and use of masks for example.
The case of Dr Sam White
Current General Medical Council guidance on the use of social media talks about privacy, confidentiality, anonymity, and respect for colleagues. It is a topic that has been assessed in medical school interviews with questions like ‘Should doctors post anonymously on social media’ as well as scenarios where medical students post photos of patients, sometimes with comments that may be considered demeaning.
Dr White, who was a GP, openly criticised official NHS advice and the UK government rules concerning the wearing of face masks, the reliability of PCR testing, and the efficacy of COVID19 vaccines 😳
His posts resulted in an investigation by the General Medical Council on whether his social media posts constituted ‘professional misconduct’ (in other words whether his posts were inappropriate given the fact that he was a doctor) because they presented a risk to the public. He was called to an Interim Orders Tribunal (IOT) to decide whether he could carry on practising as a doctor whilst his case was being investigated. The IOT did not stop Dr White from working as a doctor but tried to stop him posting freely on social media, as well as removing his existing posts.
Dr White did not accept this and appealed to the High Court which removed the order from the IOT stating it breached his rights to freedom of expression. Those rights are currently protected by the Human Rights Act 1998 which adopts the European Convention on Human Rights
Doctors use of social media and freedom of expression
Where do doctors go from here? The General Medical Council is currently revising the guidance of use of social media for doctors.
There is no current guidance on balancing a doctor’s right to freedom of expression and the perception of risk to patients or whether it affects the confidence of patients in doctors overall.
The ruling does not set a precedent for doctors to post what they like on social media without any consequences on their ability to work as a doctor.
It also raises questions on whether doctors, if posting in a personal, rather than professional capacity, should be held accountable to the same professional standards.
Doctors normally would be allowed to speak about scientific topics to the public and offer interpretations of scientific data, including its flaws and conflicts of interests. Comments made by doctors have added weight and are more likely to be taken seriously than comments from individuals from a non-medical background.
There are questions over what constitutes misinformation. Doctors could share a wild conspiracy theory online, which then gains traction on a large scale because of the fact it has been endorsed by a doctor. However, doctors also have a duty to give informed consent to patients, including informing them of any possible negative outcomes of a particular treatment to patients.
How does this case affect my medical school interview?
Theoretically you could be asked the question ‘Should doctors be restricted from posting on social media?’ or perhaps ‘A doctor posts online that a vaccine causes Autism without any scientific proof of this. What is your response?’
We would advise students to stick to the current General Medical Council on posting on social media and refer to this in their answers until the Council has updated guidance ⚠️
We include doctors use of social media and incorporate the latest guidance from the General Medical Practice into our course curriculum for our Medical School Interview Course and question bank. We have limited spaces each winter, so book your space now 🏃
