Medicine and the use of WhatsApp

After numerous consultations on the subject, the CFM, in consultation process No. 50/16 - Opinion CFM No. 14/2017, consolidated the understanding in the sense that it is possible to use the application (platform) Whatsapp and similar in communication between doctors and their patients and among professionals. The Federal Council of Medicine, however, presented the following recommendations in the aforementioned decision: (a) It is possible to form groups exclusively made up of doctors, in order to allow the discussion of cases that give rise to the intersection of specialties - provided that all professionals are enrolled and registered with the Regional Councils of Medicine. (b) The topics discussed are covered by professional secrecy, with the identification of the patient or case being prohibited in any way (Article 75 of the Code of Medical Ethics). (c) The exchange of messages between physicians and patients will aim to clarify doubts, deal with evolutionary aspects of the treatment and provide guidance on emergency interventions. (d) In view of the need to use images that can identify the patient, it is mandatory to comply with the provisions of CFM Resolution No. 1974/2011 (patient authorization), except in urgent and emergency situations. sense, the conclusion contained in the Opinion on screen: "WhatsApp and similar platforms can be used for communication between doctors and their patients, as well as between doctors and doctors privately to send data or clarify doubts with colleagues, as well as in closed groups of specialists or the clinical staff of an institution or chair , with the caveat that all information passed on is absolutely confidential and cannot go beyond the limits of the group itself, nor can it circulate in recreational groups, even if composed only of doctors, emphasizing the explicit prohibition to replace face-to-face consultations and that for diagnostic or evolutionary complementation at the discretion of the physician by any of the existing or future platforms” Link to access the complete content of the Opinion-CFM: https://sistemas.cfm.org.br/normas/visualizar/pareres/BR/2017/14 CBR Legal Advice