Is it OK to post radiographs online?

RE: Is it OK to posting radiographs online?

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 15 May 2023 08:11:54 GMT

[quote userid="4181" url="~/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/diagnostic-imaging/f/discussions/30656/is-it-ok-to-posting-radiographs-online/241548#241548"]https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/social-media-and-online-networking-forums/ [/quote]

The specific para is:

28.9 This principle also applies to veterinary surgeons using social media. Veterinary surgeons should maintain and protect client confidentiality by not disclosing information about a client or the client’s animal, which could identify them on social media unless the client gives explicit consent. If consent is obtained, this should be recorded separately (ideally in the clinical records). Written consent may be particularly helpful in the event of any future challenges. Practices should ensure that such consent is compliant with the GDPR, namely freely given, specific, informed, unambiguous and affirmative. It must also be possible to withdraw consent easily.

My take (as someone who runs a platform where people share radiographs), is that even the owner of a dog is not going to know which animal a radiograph is of. Still less anyone else.

So I don't think it would be reasonable to argue that posting a radiograph is a breach of client confidentiality.

BUT

I have seen a number of instances where vets have posted radiographs forgetting to remove the name of the animal / owner.

A relatively easy mistake to make.

If you make it practice policy to require client approval for radiographs to be shared, then this risk goes away.

I think if I were a vet, I would probably want to cover my backside and get clients to sign a document giving permission. But if I didn't have that permission and I wanted to discuss a case in a closed community like this urgently, and I removed the client / animal name, then I would think it is fine.

RE: Posting radiographs online

Rob Loxley — Sat, 13 May 2023 12:18:26 GMT

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/social-media-and-online-networking-forums/

RE: Posting radiographs online

Camilla Edwards — Sat, 13 May 2023 09:10:35 GMT

I guess the VDS/RCVS would be the ones to ask - certainly there have been issues around taking pictures of the actual animals and posting on social media that they have had to deal with. I have a tick box yes/no on my consent form to allow for use of anonymised ultrasound images in teaching, including on social media. I can count on one hand the number of people who have ticked no versus the hundreds who have ticked yes. In principle I think you can't without consent. In practice - how will anyone work it out? I know I have images I use where I have anonymised them and I cannot actually tell which patient they were without a great deal of effort (my early image storage systems were not as robust as they are now!) - but they are in my consented to folder so....