Photographing patients: an emerging unethical trend.

ABSTRACT

It is increasingly common to find medical students taking bedside clinical pictures or videos of patients. It is not unusual to find even groups of students doing this, during or after a clinical class. The recent surge in the usage of cell phones with cameras, and the increasing lack of sensitivity to patients’ feelings, are responsible for this behaviour. These photographs are taken either without the patient’s consent or with casual verbal consent without an explanation of its implications.