CHICAGO —New research suggests doctors are contacting patients on Internet dating sites and engaging in other unprofessional online behavior, according to a survey of most state medical boards that license and discipline doctors.
Most boards said they’d received at least one complaint about unprofessional online behavior; 25 percent had received more than three complaints. Violations occurred over about 10 years.
The most common violation was asking out patients online. Others were prescribing medicine and overstating medical credentials online. More than half said complaints led to serious punishment, including revoking medical licenses.
The survey appears in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association. The Federation of State Medical Boards is considering adopting guidelines for doctors’ online behavior.
