Even if you don’t identify yourself as a doctor on social media, you are still a doctor. So you must maintain ethical and professional standards. And especially patient confidentiality.  A good rule of thumb is generally not to post when you’re angry, drunk or emotional. Donn’t say anything on social media that you wouldn’t be happy to be printed in a newspaper. Yes, you have the right to free speech, but this is not absolute. The laws of defamation apply so avoid adverse comments on individuals or organisations which could be seen to be unsubstantiated.  

And be careful of giving medical advice on social media. Answering general medical questions of fact or signposting to sources of information is unlikely to get you into trouble. But providing personalised health advice via social media to members of the public is dangerous territory. And, of course, you should not discuss any individual patient health problem on social media, especially if the narrative can identify them.