Addendum 31 March 2013 to September 2012 Blog Piece
The main reason I have decided to put this up on my blog is that the issue of anonymous tweeting is running riot in doctor circles over recent GMC-UK recommendations. Rather considering this a new piece in isolation, I regard it more as an addendum to my blog post from September 2012. If you read the earlier blog, this will make a lot more sense.
A doctor on twitter who had read this blog piece recently, sent me the following cropped mobile phone screenshot by email (easy to track down via either one of my publications or through the University of Sydney website - you see, I don't try to hide) that was taken of a tweet made about 10 days ago - comment was made that it was seen from a re-tweet as this person like myself, does not follow @otorhinolarydoc. It wasn't sent to me anonymously but there is nothing to be gained by mentioning who that person was. Interestingly, it is noted that he has since changed his user name and from this I gather that he is perhaps no longer a trainee and now a qualified ENT surgeon. Whilst we can say it is a bit of harmless banter, it is essential that readers understand that M & M are an essential form of quality control and good clinical unit governance that must be taken seriously. The purpose is not to chastise this tweeter but raise the question as to whether anonymous tweeting for entertainment purposes potentially undermines public confidence in the medical profession. Whilst it might seem minor, you can give an inch and before you know it, you have a mile. Once we lose public opinion, it is something unlikely to be regained. Another issue is that of mentorship - registrars often copy the behaviour of their mentors - perhaps there is some shared responsibility between himself and his former mentors if these are the attitudes with which he has been raised as an ENT surgeon. Let you be the judge on this.
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