Employees within healthcare and anyone who has been a mature patient in recent years have been duly informed of the Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act (HIPPA), but even more people are more intimately familiar with the social networking site Facebook. Prior to researching the legal and ethical boundaries at it pertains to patient confidentiality in nursing school, many of us thought little of the HIPPA concept and how it applies to each of us as individuals. We can announce to the world on Facebook that I have a lump, please go get a mammogram! We can whine on for ages about our children’s medical problems. We make announcements and call for prayers for our spouses and parents who are ill. We share with our friends and family, sometimes things we should not share. This is not about Facebook; its essence is respecting others privacy and refusing to participate in activity that may divulge private medical information about anyone. Crossing that line, making clear the intent to become a part of the health care sector, changes your responsibility toward identifying information regarding a person other than yourself, and that information dies with you or there can be harsh consequences. Some of the stories easily searched on the Internet are seemingly harmless, absent any intent – probably just a momentary lapse in sound judgment, or simple ignorance. A nursing student going to a nursing blog site and asking the question: my patient died during clinicals today. Any advice on how I handle this emotionally? Unless that student nurse’s blog identification is known to fellow students or professors, and no one could trace the identity of the patient and harm that person or their family in any way, this would be innocent advice see... ... middle of paper ... ...t 8). When Facebook goes to the hospital patients may suffer. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/08/local/la-me-facebook-20100809 Larson, K., & Elliot, R. (2010). The Emotional Impact of Malpractice. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 37(2), 153-156. Painter, L. M., & Dudjak, L. A. (2010). Actions, Behaviors, and Characteristics of RNs Involved in Compensable Injury. Journal of Nursing Administration, 40(12), 534-539. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0b013e3181fc19eb Pugh, D. (2009). The phoenix process: a substantive theory about allegations of professional conduct. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(10), 2027-2037. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05038.x Virginia Board of Nursing. (2012). Guidance on the Use of Social Media. In (Guidance Document 90-48). Retrieved from www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/guidelines/90-48_SocialMedia.doc
The flip side of the signing a confidentiality document under HIPAA policy healthcare officials many times has been frustrated because bounds they can’t cross. Many times family or friends who aren’t authorizes obtains valuable medical information are coming all hours of the day to ask for critical medical reason, the nurses, physicians and others officials bid my law not to get out information on the telephone, or in personal if the individual or individuals name aren’t on the privacy document. Having a ...
Privacy and confidentiality are very important in the field of nursing. As nurses, we have a right to our patients to protect their privacy and confidentiality. Privacy refers to the right to have control over what information can be shared with others, while confidentiality is the right to not have any information be shared with anyone who doesn’t have permission (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p.76). Sometimes in certain cases, we must break privacy and confidentiality.
Social media is changing the way that doctors and patients communicate. It is reshaping health care with the help of modern technical innovations such as internet connectivity, smart phones, tablets, and desktops. This ranges from patient support groups to instant messaging (Aishwarya, 2012:[sp]). Media usage has evolved over the last few years and research in this field has shown how children’s psychological factors are linked to social media (Heim, et al, 2007:49). These factors suggest that the internet is a powerful communication tool that not only connects children with others but also empowers them by providing a learning environment and social support (Heim, et al, 2007:52-53). A rapid and innovated advance in social media offers numerous opportunities for modifying health behaviour by allowing the users to conduct research, review previous experiences, seek out medical advice, and lets users choose whether they would like to be identified or anonymous. Although there is a considerable potential for these media tools such as, video chat, weblogs and social networks, this media usage, requires careful application with regards to how the information is used, and may not always give the desired results when seeking medical advice or solutions (Korda, Itani, 2013:15). Carleen Hawn (2009:361) explains that across the health care industry, new media tools are changing the way that patients and doctors interact which is why people are adopting this method of using social media for health related issues (Korda, Itani, 2013:15).
Moreland, C. S. (2010). Nurses’ experiences with disruptive physician behavior. (Nursing dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing. (Accession Order No. AAT 3426828).
In conclusion, technology has changed the world, as we knew it. Positive and negative come with change. The goal of the ACA, HIPPA, and EHRs is achieve positive patient outcomes, while protecting the integrity, trust and confidentiality, and decreasing health care cost. Privacy is a fundamental right of a patient, and nurses are expected to maintain confidentiality (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). A breach in confidentiality will result in lack of trust between nurse and patients. As a nurse, it is my responsibility to ensure my patients privacy, and to provide nursing care that is patient centered, not technology centered.
Every patient that is admitted to hospital, or seen by a health professional has a right to his or her own privacy, and it is through ensuring professional boundaries are upheld that this basic right can be achieved. According to Levett-Jones and Bourgeois (2011, pp. 237) confidentiality is an obligation made by a professional to respect the information given by a patient to healthcare professional. In this modern age, privacy can be hard as society relies on technology as a form of communication, allowing for information to be more readily available. However, by posting on Facebook about a patient or informing a friend, the trust created in a therapeutic relationship is breach and is called a boundary crossing. Thompson (2010, pp.26) understands that “At times, boundary crossing may be unintentional, but emphasizes th...
Social media is affecting all spheres of life and no profession is left untouched by the impact of social media and nursing profession is no exception. Nobody can deny the benefits of social media for the profession of nursing yet its disadvantages for the registered nurses and student nurses during clinical practice cannot be ignored. “Social media can be defined as the constellation of internet-based tools that help a user to connect, collaborate, and communicate with others in real time” (Ressler & Glazer, 2010). Social media is growing at a very rapid rate and is now the mainstream communication method for most of the global population (http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm). It has brought a tremendous revolution in communication and disseminating information to nurses round the world.
Nursing is a noble profession where nurses are the front line carer of the patient. To provide competent patient care, nurses use their critical thinking skills in making a decision. In their professional practice, nurses and nursing students have the responsibility to comply with the guidelines provided by NMBA (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia). The given case study deals with the responsibility and accountability of nurses and nursing students regarding privacy and confidentiality.
Privacy and confidentiality are essential rights of the public society. Shielding those rights, with respect to an individual’s personal health information, is the nurses ethical and legal obligation as health care providers. As new demands of advanced technology use in health are is increasing, it is very significant for nurses to maintain the privacy and confidentially as the professional connection of their patients and colleagues are dependent on it (Gorea RK, Gorea A, Gorea A, 2016)
Zick, Colin. “Facebook Posting about Patient=HIPAA Violation=Physician Sanctions.” Security Privacy and the Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. http://www.securityprivacyandthelaw.com/2011/05/facebook-posting-about-patienthipaa-violationphysician-sanctions.
Rogers et al (2013) also state a key factor in nursing workplace injures is that around the age of 40 nurses begin to lose strength and mobility making it more difficult to handle patients physically. There are also several negative outcomes that occur because of workplace injuries in nurses. For example, 12% of nurses leave the profession annually secondary to occupational back injuries, cost total around $7.4 billion annually and the average workdays lost for RN’s with musculoskeletal injuries is 5 days per episode (Rogers et al.,
Over the past decade, social media’s impact on the world and how we interface with each other has been completely transformed. This is especially true for the healthcare world. Today, so many people utilize the internet for healthcare information. Patients use social media to determine which healthcare facility they seek for medical issues; best medical providers; best rankings for sub-specialties, etc. There are also a myriad of apps developed to track and improve one’s health (Gagnon, 2015). In general, I think companies in the healthcare field are managing this in a similar fashion. I work for a large, world renowned healthcare organization that embraces social media’s unique way of communicating. As such, we have several policies
Stirrat et al . (2010) Medical Ethics and Law for the doctors of Tomorrow: The 1998 Consensus Statement updated, Journal of Medical Ethics, 36(1), pp. 56-60
According to the U.S. based national council of State boards of Nursing (NCSBN, 2011), breaches of privacy and confidentiality can be intentional or inadvertent and can have serious implications for nurses, their patients and their employers. Even if her current organization didn’t take action, the patient have every right to file, for a lawsuit due to HIPPA violations. She has increased her chance of getting caught by posting the information on a social media website. As she has presented as being unprofessional this does not only affect her image it may affect her future
Social media has become a popular way for people to engage with others, and is used by many individuals for personal or professional use (Anderson, 2012). Within the nursing profession, if used correctly, social media can be a valuable tool for learning purposes, keeping up to date with information and communicating with other healthcare professionals and users. This essay will define social media, and also provide two possible benefits and risks associated with the use of social media for a nurse. Additionally this essay will provide a few recommendations for nurses to maintain professionalism while online, to avoid any breaches either legally, ethically or professionally which could possibly lead to negative implications.