During the live shows, the specialist interacted with her followers, putting patients’ lives at risk.

A surgeon loses her license for broadcasting her operations on TikTok.

The presence of physicians in social networks has multiplied in recent years. Most of them use these platforms for dissemination, others publish content that is somewhat distant from the health sector and there are those who decide to go beyond, crossing the red lines. Some specialists post content on platforms such as TikTok in search of a good handful of ‘likes’ that will lead them to go viral, without thinking that this endangers patient privacy, a situation that also puts their license as practitioners at risk.

“…Some specialists post content on platforms such as TikTok in search of a good handful of “likes”…”

In the United States, Katharine Roxanne Grawe, the plastic surgeon who broadcasts via TikTok (under the now-private @doctorroxy account) her surgeries, has received a notice from the Ohio Medical Board informing her that she has permanently lost her license. They allege that the decision has been made for “failing to meet medical services standards” by putting the focus on their social media and followers rather than their patients. As a result, he has committed medical malpractice.

One board member has stated, “We have seen an extreme lack of professionalism. Her postings are a marketing ploy. Grawe’s social media was more important to her than the lives of the patients she treated.”

“The surgeon’s social networks were more important to her than the lives of the patients she treated.”

Streaming surgical operations on TikTok

In addition, they insist that they had previously warned him on several occasions that, by broadcasting the operations on networks, he was in breach of patient privacy protection. Added to this, three of them have reported medical complications from operations that the surgeon had live-streamed, a fact that the state medical board believes was due to her “recklessness.”

The report prepared by the medical board also indicates, according to U.S. media reports, that the surgeon was interacting with her TikTok followers while performing the operations.

“…medical complications in operations that the surgeon had live-streamed, a fact that the state medical board considers to be due to her “recklessness…”

The decision states that the specialist will no longer be able to practice in the state of Ohio and is required to report this to the National Practitioner Data Bank (a web-based database that contains information about physicians, specifically whether they have any malpractice cases). This file is fee-based and only hospitals and state boards can access the information it contains.

Negligence relayed by TikTok

This is not the first time Grawe has lost its license. In 2022, several patients were called to testify and confirmed that they suffered health complications after being operated on by this surgeon for which they had to be admitted to the ICU.

One patient had to undergo emergency surgery a few days after being operated on by Grawe. As he stated, he was broadcasting the operation live and answering questions from followers. It appears that the reason for the patient’s subsequent intervention was because the surgeon had perforated her bowel, which resulted in brain damage and bacterial infections in the abdomen caused by the high level of toxins in the blood.

The commentary

In the case of the surgeon who lost her license for broadcasting her operations on TikTok, we see how her quest for popularity and ‘likes’ on social networks led her to ignore the privacy of her patients and put their safety at risk.

“…misuse of social networks can have devastating consequences…”

This is a clear violation of the trust patients place in their physicians and an extreme example of how the misuse of social networks can have devastating consequences.

It is important to remember that sharing images or medical information of patients on social networks without their consent is a serious violation of their privacy and can lead to legal action, as mentioned in Mallorca Medical Group’s post of June 21, 2023. Physicians and healthcare professionals should always obtain explicit consent from patients before publishing any content related to their medical care.

“…Medical ethics and the protection of patient privacy must always be the priority….”

Medical ethics and the protection of patient privacy must always be the priority. As a medical community, we must educate ourselves on best practices in the use of social media and constantly remind ourselves of our responsibility to safeguard the confidentiality and safety of our patients.

“…Respecting privacy and informed consent is essential to maintaining trust and respect in the doctor-patient relationship…”

This case should serve as a warning to all healthcare professionals who participate in social networks. The search for fame or recognition online should never compromise the integrity and duty of care towards our patients. Respecting privacy and informed consent is essential to maintain trust and respect in the doctor-patient relationship.

“…As professionals, we must be aware of our online actions and always act with the utmost ethics and responsibility…”

Irresponsible disclosure on social networks can have serious consequences, both in terms of professional reputation and the damage it can cause to patients’ lives. As professionals, we must be aware of our online actions and always act with the utmost ethics and responsibility. Our priority must always be the well-being and safety of our patients.

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