Patients’ perception of medical photography

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Summary

Introduction

With the advent of digital medical photography, a balance between technological possibility and ethical acceptability is necessary. An understanding of patients' perception is vital in maintaining a healthy doctor-patient relationship and the avoidance of unnecessary medico-legal consequences. To explore this, an anonymous patient questionnaire survey was conducted.

Methods

Ethically approved questionnaires were distributed in our plastic surgery clinics. The questionnaires examine patients' acceptability of the use of identifiable and non-identifiable photography for different purposes including teaching, presentation, publication and internet. Patients' preferences on equipment used and who should view their images were also recorded. 205 completed questionnaires were analysed and statistically assessed.

Results

There was a low level of acceptability to the use of personal cameras (16%) and phones (12%) compared to hospital equipment (75% p < 0.001). The use of non-identifiable photographs was more acceptable for all purposes (p < 0.001). Electronic distribution was less favoured (p < 0.001). Patients agreed to have their photographs used by treating doctors (98%), other doctors (74%), for student teaching (82%) or patient education (88%).

Conclusion

Medical photography is acceptable to most patients. Appropriate consent and equipment would maximise patient compliance and clinical benefits. Our discussion with medical professional and defence organisation provide a portrait of current perspectives.

Section snippets

Patients and methods

An anonymous questionnaire was designed with questions specifically focused on each of the area of interest (consent process, capturing equipment, distribution and accessibility) in order to determine patients' preferences in relation to medical photography. This was ethically approved by the Clinical Governance Department at Addenbrooke's Hospital. The first 55 questionnaires (Figure 1) were completed by patients in the presence of the first author to ensure terminology used was easily

Capturing equipment

The most significant results were patients' preferences on capturing equipment. 12% of patients agreed to the use of personal camera-phone compared to 16% that of personal camera (p > 0.05), the vast majority of patients (75%) prefer the use of hospital cameras (Figure 2). This preference over personal camera and camera-phone is very highly significant (p < 0.001).

Identifiable vs. Non-identifiable

Patients showed definite preferences to the use of non-identifiable photographs for all purposes (p < 0.001) (Figure 3). This was

Discussion

The use of medical photography was found to be acceptable to most patients; however issues of data protection and confidentiality clearly need to be addressed. Patients' preference to the use of hospital photographic equipment is associated with the presumed assurance of proper use and storage of their images. On the other hand, their lack of acceptance to personal capturing equipments such as cameras and camera-phones indicated their anxiety to the potential unethical use of their medical

Conflicts of interest statement

None Declared.

Funding

None.

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Presented at: The British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons Winter Scientific Meeting, London, England on 7th December 2006 and The Conjoint Scientific Congress by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and The college of Surgeons of Hong Kong Surgery: East Meets West, Hong Kong, China 12th October 2006.

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