The Importance Of Patient Privacy In Nursing

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As social media becomes an essential way to communicate, nurse must be aware of what are appropriate and illegitimate uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms. Nurses must use their best judgment in what they post, because they are responsible for protecting the public view of nurses, and most importantly, former and present patient confidentiality. Social media education should not start when a nurse starts their career, but while they are still in school. Richard G. Booth of Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Canada, studied the use of Twitter by nursing students. In 2011, Booth collected 498 tweets over a six day period. He created five groups and divided 189 tweets into those specific themed …show more content…

Patient confidentiality is the legal requirement that any information received by the nurse should only be shared with other healthcare professionals for health care purposes (White Paper, 2014). “Privacy relates to the patient’s expectation and right to be treated with dignity and respect” (White Paper, 2014). Privacy is further enforced by federal laws known as HIPPA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The Indiana State Nursing Association explains: “HIPAA regulations are intended to protect patient privacy by defining individually identifiable information and establishing how this information may be used, by whom and under what circumstances.” When a nurse posts anything identifiable to an individual on any social media platform, it explicitly violates HIPPA (White Paper, 2014). Violation of HIPPA includes disciplinary action, termination, and even revoking of licensure. Identifiable information …show more content…

Social media creates a network for nurses to communicate and educate one another effectively, without being in the same city, state or even in the same country. Verified nursing based Twitter accounts update their posts regularly to provide breaking healthcare related news to a very large follower base (Peate, 2013). Nursing web communities provide a platform for real-time discussions or debates. Contributions can be found from professionals from various areas, with unique input. (Peate, 2013). Social media is also a wonderful tool for continuing education. YouTube videos allow professionals to review subjects and learn new ideas just like they would in classroom, but in their own time and pace (Source). A nurse can review topics on virtually any information, just by Googling a certain subject, and watching a video from another professional. While these examples are all extremely useful, nurses must still be conscious of what they are posting or commenting online. These platforms are still expected to be professional, and a nurse’s reputation is still at stake. (Peate,

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