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.QUESTION
Social Media
Read Page 11 of the NCSBN brochure
1. describes common myths and misunderstandings of social media. Which one of these surprised you?2. What steps will you take to make you avoid disclosing confidential patient information?
10 11
Social Media’s Impact on Patient Safety and Care
Another concern arising from social media misuse is its
effect on team-based patient care. Online comments by
a nurse regarding co-workers, even if posted from home
during nonwork hours, may constitute lateral violence.
Lateral violence includes disruptive behaviors of intimidation
and bullying, which may be perpetuated in person
or via the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as
“cyber bullying.” Such activity is a cause for concern for
current and future employers, and regulators because
they negatively affect team-based care, thus creating
patient-safety ramifications. The line between speech
protected by labor laws, the First Amendment and
the ability of an employer to impose expectations on
employees outside of work is still being determined.
Nonetheless, negative comments can be detrimental to
a cohesive health care delivery team and may result in
sanctions against the nurse.
Common Myths and Misunderstandings
of Social Media
While instances of intentional or malicious misuse of
social media have occurred, in most cases, inappropriate
disclosure is unintentional. A number of factors may contribute
to a nurse inadvertently violating patient privacy
and confidentiality while using social media, including:
n A mistaken belief that the communication or post is
private and accessible only to the intended recipient.
The nurse may fail to recognize that content once
posted or sent can be disseminated to others.
n A mistaken belief that content deleted from a site is
no longer accessible. The moment something is posted,
it lives on a server that can always be discoverable in a
court of law.
n A mistaken belief that it is harmless if private information
about patients is disclosed if the communication is
accessed only by the intended recipient. This is still a
breach of confidentiality.
n A mistaken belief that it is acceptable to discuss or refer
to patients if they are not identified by name, but
referred to by a nickname, room number, diagnosis or
condition. This too is a breach of confidentiality and
demonstrates disrespect for patient privacy.
n Confusion between a patient’s right to disclose personal
information about himself or herself (or a health care
organization’s right to disclose otherwise protected
information with a patient’s consent) and the need for
health care providers to refrain from disclosing patient
information without a care-related need for the
disclosure.
The ease of posting and the commonplace nature of
sharing information via social media may appear to blur
the line between one’s personal and professional lives.
The quick, easy and efficient technology enabling use
of social media reduces not only the time it takes to
post, but also the time to consider whether the post is
appropriate and what ramifications may come from
posting inappropriate content.
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| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Social Media
There are common myths and misunderstandings of social media that contributes to breach of privacy and disclosure of personal health information. There is a mistaken belief that a post or communication is private as well as accessible only by the intended recipient, which may not be the case (National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), (2018). A common misconception that surprised me is that content that is deleted still remains in the server and still can be accessed; this fact surprised me. I used to think that once certain content is deleted it has gone for good but it may not be the case (NCSBN, 2018). Another misconception is that is it harmless if the intended information is delivered to the intended recipient but may be accessed by unauthorized persons. Another issue is that it is unacceptable to refer patients by their nicknames, condition or diagnosis, room number since it amounts to disrespect of the patient’s privacy. Lastly, healthcare providers should refrain from disclosing patient’ personal information if there is no care-related need (NCSBN, 2018).
Steps that need to be taken to avoid disclosure of patient information include maintenance of legal and ethical obligation to protection of patient’s privacy, not transmitting patient data via electronic media, sharing patient information with care need in an appropriate manner, and avoidance of the use of personal identifiable information when referring patients. Patients need to be referred in a respectful manner and healthcare providers should refrain from taking videos or photos of their patients. Besides, there is need to maintain professional boundaries when using electronic media and nurses should report breach of privacy or confidentiality in a prompt manner when detected (NCSBN, 2018). It is also important for nurses to be aware and comply with employer policies, not make disparaging remarks about co-workers or employers, and refrain from speaking or making statements on behalf of the employer unless authorized to do so (NCSBN, 2018).
References
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National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (2018). A nurse’s guide to the use of social media. https://www.ncsbn.org/3739.htm