‘Unethical and self-serving’: Doctor divulged health information of boyfriend’s former spouse through Facebook and texts

An Ontario doctor who threatened to publicize the health information of a boyfriend’s ex-wife has been suspended for five months and ordered to pay $6,000 in college costs. Dr. Elika Safar Zadeh, an endocrinologist who practises at a Toronto hospital, must also complete courses in medical ethics and professionalism, as well as in patient privacy and confidentiality within six months of the date of the order, issued on March 28 by the Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal, the discipline arm of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. “You exploited your position of trust to access and copy your patient's clinical record to further your own interests,” the tribunal said in its reprimand, which was delivered by videoconference. “Your unethical and self-serving behaviour brings the profession into disrepute and has the potential to undermine the public's expectation of privacy when sharing sensitive health information with their physician.” Read: Unexplained bruises and unclear consent: Doctor hit with $59K in fine and costs The case dates back to a clinical encounter in July 2015, when Dr. Safar Zadeh treated a patient in hospital. The patient—who was the former spouse of a man Dr. Safar Zadeh was dating—was admitted to the hospital, where she received mental health care. Four years after this clinical event, Dr. Safar Zadeh retrieved and took photos of the patient’s health records without her knowledge and consent, and texted the photos to the patient’s former spouse, according to the case document. Dr. Safar Zadeh told the former spouse she would be sending the photos to the patient’s children and threatened to publish the information publicly if the patient did not stop what Dr. Safar Zadeh asserted was harassment. She repeated this threat to a woman who had been trying to connect with her on social media, believing this woman to be the patient and former spouse of the man she was dating. Read: Privacy of nearly 58,500 people breached in 2021 cyberattack on N.L. healthcare Dr. Safar Zadeh also sent a Facebook message to a friend of the patient and shared information with this person about the patient’s health and treatment. She told the friend she could jeopardize the patient’s custody of her daughter by filing a lawsuit for harassment and defamation. She also sent a series of text messages to the patient’s daughter, containing information about her mother’s health. In her testimony, the patient expressed feeling scared and stressed by Dr. Safar Zadeh’s actions. She said she lost trust in the medical system and in her own doctors because most of them worked at the hospital where Dr. Safar Zadeh practised. She also worried Dr. Safar Zadeh would continue to access her personal health information. “Dr. Safar Zadeh’s conduct had a significant impact on (the patient),” wrote the tribunal. “It eroded her trust in the medical profession and consequently her ability to receive the care that she needs.” Read: Doctor who put non-cancer patient through extensive chemo ordered to pay close to $73K

‘Unethical and self-serving’: Doctor divulged health information of boyfriend’s former spouse through Facebook and texts

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