Warning: Social Media Posts Don’t Have to Name Names in Order to Violate Patient Privacy

Optimistically, you could presume that urgent care employees get the urge to post about their shift on social media because they’re proud of the work they do. Or, they may just find certain cases newsworthy or to have a novel aspect that would be of interest to friends and followers. Most, if not all, would understand that identifying a patient by name would be unethical and illegal. An ugly legal case unfolding in Florida right now should serve as a sober reminder that it’s never OK to post anything about any patient, regardless of whether they’re IDd or not. This particular case involves an accident victim who was taken to a Miami emergency room after being hit by a car on his motorcycle. Not one, but two hospital workers posted photos of the victim—who later died—on social media. The hospital got wind of the incident first and informed the family after conducting an internal investigation. While the posts did not name the victim or show his face, according to an article published by the Miami New Times the outraged family is now suing the hospital. JUCM published an article that could be helpful in setting boundaries when it comes to workers posting information. Don’t Post That! Protecting Patient Privacy in the Age of Social Media is available in our archive right now.