Risks med students face when posting patient photos on Facebook

Besides the possible breach of patient privacy when med students post cell phone pictures of patients on Facebook, other unintended consequences are likely, New York Times ethicist, Randy Cohen notes. "It will not improve the doctor-patient relationship when that Facebook image goes viral and the patient learns the doctor treats him like a cartoon," Cohen writes. Besides being inappropriate and unprofessional, the gallows humor that may seem like a harmless coping mechanism that gives med students the emotional distance to confront disturbing situations may actually make doctors less able to see the patient as fully human. Article