The legal dangers of using your phone for patient photos

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By Rohan Simon

Taking a quick snap to send to a colleague for an opinion can be legally fraught. There are several things you need to consider before using your smartphone for clinical images, says Rohan Simon from the Medical Defense Society. 

In an era where high-definition cameras are in every pocket, the use of clinical photography has transitioned from a specialized hospital service to a daily diagnostic tool in primary care. Whether you are capturing the progression of a suspicious lesion or seeking a second opinion, a photograph is often worth a thousand words in a medical record.

However, whilst clinical photography may seem to be a bit more informal in the smartphone era, the medico-legal risks are unchanged. At Medical Defense Society, in the past few years we have seen an increase in queries regarding the "grey areas" of patient photography – particularly around the use of personal mobile phones.

The problem with personal devices