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Potential for Cyberspace in Assisting Public and Mental Health Professionals

joana roja World Wide Web Connects and Changes Doctor-Patient Relationship

Last week, Psychiatry News highlighted a recent American Psychiatric Association conference discussion on how the Internet changes the dynamic of the doctor-patient relationship. [Read article here]

According to the article, the main concern is that the Google search could be abused by a psychiatrist. Jun Yan, the author of the Psychiatry News article included the recent APA Ethics Committee recommendation:

"’Googling’ a patient is not necessarily unethical. However, it should be done only in the interests of promoting the patient’s care and well-being and never to satisfy the curiosity or other needs of the psychiatrist" (Psychiatric News, May 1).

Public and mental health professionals most definitely need to explore using the digital environment to assist with prevention and intervention. The concern over privacy is commendable, however, nothing on the Internet is private. Anything posted in a public forum is accessible to anyone for any reason.

The benefits of a digital connection between patient and doctor greatly out-weigh the possible ethical issues surrounding a doctor potentially Googling  public information on a patient during his/her leisure time.

Using the Internet for prevention and intervention particularly in the areas of anorexia, suicide, and other high risk behaviors may assist an offline therapist make better informed decisions. With real-time updates, or more detailed information (posted, for example, on Facebook or a blog), a therapist can make more timely interventions with serious health and safety concerns.

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Categories: Physical Health

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