230. Privacy

You wouldn't think that a few days after you visit a doctor you see your story show up on a blog, such that you neighbor calls up and says she's sorry to hear about your abnormal Pap smear.

So what do I do to protect the privacy of the patients whose stories are the seeds of my posts?


1. I change the name, age and other demographic details.
2. I tweak the stories, changing details that don't impact the nature of the observations being made. 
3. Though I will write a draft soon after an encounter, the final post may be delayed for weeks or months.
4. Many stories are a composite of several patients with similar medical histories.
5. Just a handful of people know my identity.

In other words no one reading my posts would be able to identify the patient unless he had access to all of my daily clinic and hospital records, and lots of time to sort things out. If there is any concern about privacy, it should be directed at that person who has such access and uses it in that manner.