Patients should stop ogling us and boasting 'how hot is their doc' online say furious GPs

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Doctors have complained they are being ogled online by patients who post video consultations on social media while bragging about how 'hot' they are.

Growing numbers of patients are sharing videos and photographs on Facebook and Twitter - with some posts being viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

Some criticise their family doctors for 'terrible appointments' while others simply remarked on the person's looks.

GPs say it is leaving them exposed to 'comments and ridicule' and have called for sanctions against patients, claiming it can damage a doctors' reputation.

Dr Zoe Greaves, a trainee doctor who raised the motion, told the British Medical Association's annual meeting in Brighton that she had heard of doctors being objectified by patients.

Trainee medic Dr Zoe Graves (pictured) told the British Medical Association's annual meeting that patients often ogle their GPs and slate 'terrible' appointments on social media 

'There have been recent reports of patients posting videos or photographs of their doctors online and on social media without their doctor's consent.

'Based on a quick search, the most common of these fall into the relatively benign category of babies' first doctor's appointment and scan pictures. 

These are typically shared with families and friends but viewings can often run into the hundreds of thousands.

'Some however, are far more insidious. These can range from 'terrible appointments' to people posting to show 'how hot is their doc'.

'For each of these, private conversations are opened up to public comments and critique and the individual's privacy is undermined.' 

Research has shown that only about a third of the content of a consultation is remembered by patients, so patients are allowed to use recordings as an aide memoire to better understand their diagnosis.

But doctors say there is insufficient guidance to ensure that this is not used in the wrong way.

Yesterday, a quick search showed lots of examples on social media.

One person who had taken a picture of a male doctor from behind, posted it on Instagram with the caption: 'When you [are] perving on your doctors #cometomummy #hotdoctors'.

Dr Greaves (pictured) explained a growing numbers of patients are sharing videos and photographs of their doctors on Facebook and Twitter

Another posted a photograph of her grandma next to her male consultant. She wrote: 'I help get my grandma to appointments. 

Today we had a eye appointment. Her doctor is beautiful!' Dr Greaves denied this was about patients using recordings in this way.

'This isn't about patients using recordings for medical purposes, this is about social media being used to violate the privacy of individuals and this is not acceptable.' She gave examples of friends who found themselves subject to 'how hot is my doc' posts on Twitter.

'This is not an issue of transparency or accountability of practice but one of boundaries and trust.

'If we are to recognise patients' rights to make recordings for their own private use then there must be recognised responsibilities alongside that right - the responsibility to respect that doctors privacy and not expose them to public comment or ridicule, simply for doing their job.' 

But Dr Cyrus Abbasian told delegates it was up to the patient, though suggested guidelines are needed.

'The consultation ultimately belongs to the patient and they can do what they want with it,' he said.

'Now what we need, we need proper guidelines for patients, and we need to educate them that putting this information online could ultimately damage them.' 

A BMA spokesperson said: 'The BMA recognises that there are certain circumstances in which it may be beneficial for some patients to make recordings of their consultations for private use.

'In such cases there is a reasonable expectation of doctors' privacy in respect to their engagement with patients who should seek consent before recording.

'Should a patient publish audio or video recordings without consent, they may be at risk of unlawfully misusing the doctor's private information.

'Greater support and legal protection should therefore be afforded to doctors given the significant difficulties that may face in trying to prevent publication or remove published material.'