reticence

Forgive my recent reticence - wasn't sure how to proceed with this blog and with my twitter after the BMA published some guidelines.  Basically, it just says "be careful and don't share personal or confidential information in a place where anyone can see it and where confidentiality can be compromised."

I know I've made several attempts in the past to go through all the posts and remove information that could pertain to anything important, like any stories I may have shared or anything that could be considered personal information.  With these new guidelines, I am going to make more of an effort to do so, and really take the time to go through the posts I've already blogged, and the tweets I have already tweeted.

I would like the option to still blog and still tweet in a place where people can see it, but where confidentiality does not become an issue.  I know we are all human, and sometimes people make mistakes over these things - they slip up, and only then do they realise how much of an issue confidentiality is.  There have been incidences in the past where people I know have readily shared information about a patient, where other patients could hear, or spoken about their personal/private lives in a way that doctors should not.   I don't wish to be caught up in such things - I have indeed been privy to some personal information that pertains to the patient's occupation, or something they have done in the past etc.

I can't remember if I wrote about it before, but one patient whose story really resonated with me had a google search in their file - it was relevant to their history and presentation, though I am unsure how "145,000 searches on google" is relevant in their notes, or their wikipedia page.  That whole case really moved me, if I am being perfectly honest, it spoke to me in a way that other cases have not, and I was very sad to find out that they had passed away.  I paid my respects via an online obituary and had a moment's silence to remember them.

Does that count though?  Putting their information from the internet into their patient notes?  Does that cloud your judgement of the patient, or make you treat them in a different way?

These guidelines coincidence with a mercurial desire to blog here on sei-maow.blogspot.com. This is for several reasons, which I have never alluded to in real life or online life.  The link will not appear anywhere on this page or on twitter or facebook.  It is not something I am comfortable with sharing with anyone, so if you really want (and also really care), please comment and let me know if you'd like it and maybe I shall let you have a look.

This is not a goodbye post, more of an "à bientôt" one.  Jusqu'a la prochaine fois :) xx