Health IT, Hospitals

Hospital’s worst nightmare: ER technician suspect in assault allegedly tweeted patient images

Official report of #phillyhatecrime perps’ arrest on the @PhillyPolice blog. #LGBT http://t.co/R81v0DKOmE pic.twitter.com/wrt4FtpxnK — Scott […]

The practice of bringing your own device to work and using social media is one that hospitals have reluctantly accepted. But a stark reminder that medical professionals’ use of social media can have a downside was on full display this week. A hospital technician, one of three charged with allegedly taking part in an assault on a gay couple in Philadelphia, posted patient X-rays on her Twitter account, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing an affidavit.

Kathryn Knott, who has worked as an emergency room technician at Abington Health’s Landsdale Hospital, has been suspended as a result of the charges, according to a statement the health system provided to media. It read:

“We can confirm that Kathryn Knott has been employed at Lansdale Hospital since May 2011. Because of the nature of the charges against her, she has been suspended from her job as an Emergency Room tech.”

It would have been difficult enough for a hospital to have an employee brought up on charges over allegedly taking part in an assault. But the charges were accompanied by an affidavit which appeared to uncover some damning information about Knott’s conduct on Twitter under the handle @Kathryn_Knott. The Inquirer article, citing the affidavit, said Knott posted “tweets of X-rays of unusual injuries and a photo of a patient’s severed fingers in a plastic bag.”

The statement from Abington Health said:

“We are investigating an additional issue that was brought to our attention related to this employee’s Twitter account for potential violations of patient privacy and our organization’s social media policy. Abington Health takes patient privacy and confidentiality very seriously and is fully investigating this matter.”

The affidavit was intended to offer a view of her conduct on Twitter, particularly the kind of language she used to describe people of different races and sexual orientations. In the process, it also revealed the new reality hospitals face in guarding patients’ privacy, even with a social media policy in place.

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