Darwin patients' medical information posted to Instagram in privacy breach

Royal Darwin Hospital has issued an apology for a privacy breach that led to confidential medical information belonging to about a dozen pregnant patients being shared to 28,000 followers on Instagram by a "medical observer" associated with the hospital.

In the letter sent to affected patients, RDH management said NT Health had been informed an overseas trained doctor attached to the hospital's obstetrics and gynaecology unit had posted to social media images and videos where "patient details were visible".

"The information visible about you from our handover sheet included your name, your hospital record number, the ward and bed number, the name of the consultant, the presenting problem, medical history, investigations, and plan of management," the letter said.

"I recognise that learning of this incident may cause distress, embarrassment or concern about your privacy and your trust in our service.

The content, which has been seen by the ABC, was posted to the Instagram account of Dr Neda Mogharehabed and also included a video from a staff meeting, where health professionals can be heard discussing a woman's care.

In a statement to the ABC, Dr Mogharehabed said she "cannot confirm how these images were posted" or "whether they originated from the account I currently control", noting "there may be other accounts using my name".

Dr Mogharehabed added she "did not intend to disclose any patient information" and that she takes "patient privacy seriously".

"I am sorry for the concern this situation has caused. At this stage, however, I cannot verify the origin or circumstances of the images," she said.

In their statement, RDH management noted the doctor as a "medical observer" who was not permitted to undertake any patient management and that her attachment to NT Health had since been terminated.

'Shocking' and a 'violation'

One of the women whose information was exposed was ABC Radio Darwin producer, Shanelle Tobin, who is 17-weeks pregnant with her second child. 

Ms Tobin said when she went for her appointment at RDH two weeks ago she was asked if she consented to a "medical observer" being present.

"I didn't give it a second thought, I was like 'yep, they're here to learn, to get exposure, whatever it is, I'm comfortable', and now I guess I'm reflecting on that [choice]," Ms Tobin said.

The expectant mother said the information shared in these medical appointments was detailed and highly sensitive.

"You go through everything from previous pregnancies, whether or not you've had terminations, they talk through your mental health generally and how it was with your last pregnancy," she said.

"Every facet of physical health, so that goes into STIs [sexually transmitted diseases], any issues with your reproductive organs ... your fertility journey, whether that's with IVF or not, and your experience of domestic violence.

Ms Tobin said she discovered her personal information had been shared online when a member of the public reached out to her saying they had seen the post and her name featured.

"It was obviously shocking," she said.

"I then received a phone call from Royal Darwin Hospital from the head of obstetrics who outlined that this breach had happened."

Ms Tobin said when she realised the account had 28,000 followers the "feeling of violation really set in".

'Major wake-up call' for RDH

In a statement, the vice president of the NT Branch of the Australian Medical Association Dr Dayna Duncan said "any breach of patient confidentiality is unacceptable in all situations".

"There are very clear laws and guidelines about patient privacy in Australia, including social media," Dr Duncan said.

"All patients should expect that everyone in their treating team keeps their personal information confidential, with no exceptions."

Ms Tobin said she hoped the incident would be a "major wake-up call" for RDH about how it manages patient privacy and educates its staff, including international medical observers, about this principle. 

The ABC asked Dr Mogharehabed if she had received any training from RDH about expectations around social media use and patient confidentiality.

Dr Mogharehabed said did not receive any specific training about "photography, video recording or posting content on social media" and that she was "not specifically informed during my observership that posting such content on social media was prohibited".

She added: "To my knowledge, the content I became aware of did not tag or mention Royal Darwin Hospital by name."

NT Health was contacted for comment.

Despite her recent bad experience, Ms Tobin said she still planned to access care and give birth at RDH.

"My birth at RDH with my first baby was a really amazing experience, thanks to the people that work there.

"They are some of the hardest workers you could ever imagine and ... I will put my trust back into those people because I know this is one individual who's decided to act in a certain way."