Comments on: Should hospitals ban camera phones? http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:59:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: DancingSamuraihttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html#comment-75844 DancingSamurai Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:34:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html#comment-75844 I don't know how different this is from physicians saving a copy of the x-ray image onto a USB drive to use in resident teaching -- a common occurence at all the hospitals I trained at. Ideally the presenter should remove identifying information, but that doesn't always happen. <br/><br/>If the concern is about patient confidentiality, the solution is not to impose cumbersome and difficult bans on devices that may be used to infringe it (after all, then you may as well ban pens and paper, as well as human brains), but to punish inappropriate behaviour. I don’t know how different this is from physicians saving a copy of the x-ray image onto a USB drive to use in resident teaching — a common occurence at all the hospitals I trained at. Ideally the presenter should remove identifying information, but that doesn’t always happen.

If the concern is about patient confidentiality, the solution is not to impose cumbersome and difficult bans on devices that may be used to infringe it (after all, then you may as well ban pens and paper, as well as human brains), but to punish inappropriate behaviour.

]]> By: Donnahttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html#comment-75831 Donna Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:01:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html#comment-75831 As a patient, I've taken lots of pictures of my doctors with a regular digital camera, including one of Doctor Gialde stitching my leg up. Although he asked me why I was taking pictures, and gave me permission, I could tell he wasn't altogether comfortable with it, and I've decided not to take any more. Doctors have enough to worry about without them feeling like the patient is gathering evidence to use against them. As a patient, I’ve taken lots of pictures of my doctors with a regular digital camera, including one of Doctor Gialde stitching my leg up. Although he asked me why I was taking pictures, and gave me permission, I could tell he wasn’t altogether comfortable with it, and I’ve decided not to take any more. Doctors have enough to worry about without them feeling like the patient is gathering evidence to use against them.

]]> By: DR. MARY JOHNSONhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html#comment-75828 DR. MARY JOHNSON Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:27:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/06/should-hospitals-ban-camera-phones.html#comment-75828 That works both ways, Kevin. See my comment under your post about Andrew Speaker's father "covertly" taping a conversation with public health officials/doctors. That works both ways, Kevin. See my comment under your post about Andrew Speaker’s father “covertly” taping a conversation with public health officials/doctors.

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