In this digital age, we can connect more easily than ever on any social media platform—Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.—giving a new twist to the the doctor-patient relationship.
As a doctor or medical intern, you need to share your phone number with your patients in order to schedule appointments or follow-up visits.
However, some patients violate this privacy by calling or texting via WhatsApp for casual conversation, forwarding good morning messages, and sending friend requests.
I believe female doctors face it in their lives more commonly when a patient tries to be a part of her virtual life without permission.
A patient, regardless of age or gender, should respect the doctor as a professional and maintain the patient-doctor relationship rather than attempting to form personal connections.
Doctors need to be empathetic and polite and help patients openly communicate and share their problems or histories. But being soft-spoken isn’t an invitation to be friends with the doctor.
And the same is true for the doctors, who must maintain this respect and relationship while respecting the patient’s privacy.
Thus, whether you are a doctor or a patient, you should always maintain professionalism, even when communicating digitally.
MBH/PS