Many aesthetic surgeons place before and after pictures on their websites.
Obtain patient’s detailed written permission before moving forward. Check.
Place a black strip over identifying features if not highlighting facial features. Check.
That’s it. Right? RIGHT??
Wrong.
One surgeon learned that a de-identified photo had the patient’s name embedded in file name / properties feature of the link. In other words, right click on the picture… voila …the patient’s name appeared within the file name for the picture. This came as a surprise to the patient who followed by calling an attorney.
Make sure your webmasters know that de-identified pictures must address not only the obvious – but data embedded behind the pictures.
