Doctor-patient relationship compromised by Facebook

Researchers surveyed the Facebook activities of 405 postgraduate trainee doctors at Rouen University Hospital in France and found that almost three out of four had a Facebook profile. One in four logged on to the site several times a day, and half logged on several times a week.

Almost half believed that the doctor-patient relationship would be changed if patients discovered their doctor held a Facebook account, but three out of four said this would only happen if the patient was able to access their profile.

However, virtually all the doctors - 98 percent - displayed enough personal information for them to be identified, including their real name and birth dates. Ninety-one percent displayed a personal photo. Just over half displayed their current post, while 59 percent provided information on their current university training site.