Article review
Article review
The therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is at the core of nursing. Recent advances in technology and in particular, the widespread use of the internet for social networking threaten to blur the boundaries of the nurse-patient relationship. This paper is a critical analysis of the Ayliot (2011) article entitled “Blurring the boundaries: technology and the nurse-patient relationship”. In the paper, I will outline my opinions of the article and the implications it has on my nursing practice.
The Aylott (2011) article describes potential and actual boundary violations of the nurse-patient relationships brought about by web-based social networks (WBSNs). In my opinion, the article provides useful insights on how the use of the internet to disseminate information or for interactions may compromise past, present, and future nurse-patient relationships advertently or inadvertently. Indeed the internet is a new context which is relatively unexplored and many nurses may not be aware of the explosive nature of the information they post or posted about them on the internet. The article clearly elucidates the impacts such information may have on patients, individual nurses, and the nursing profession.
I concur with the opinion of the authors that nurses have to maintain professionalism even when using the various online social networking sites. The standards of nursing practice explicitly state that nurses have a responsibility to set and maintain appropriate professional boundaries with their patients and to clarify these boundaries to their patient if they are not clear to them (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2006; Nurses Association of New Brunswick, 2011). As such, they should be vigilant on the way they use the internet in order to ensure they do not undermine their integrity as nurses or put the profession into disrepute. I also strongly agree with the sentiments of the author that the information placed on the internet is information in the public domain. Numerous incidents of facebook and twitter accounts being hacked and private information being exposed are frequently reported in the media. Additionally, nurses like other health professionals on account of the role they play in healthcare are held to higher moral and ethical standards (Thompson et al., 2008). As such, nurses should ensure that information placed on the internet is carefully evaluated for content and potential implications.
The article has several implications on nursing practice. Firstly, the rampant media reports on boundary violations call for more guidance on WBSNs in order to avoid harm to nurses, patients, and the nursing profession. As an individual nurse practitioner, I should ensure that my conduct remains professional at all times even in this non-traditional context. I should also ensure I uphold my ethical and legal duty to maintain patient confidentiality when online. I should additionally exercise caution in relation to self-disclosure since information may be interpreted differently in different circumstances or portray me in an unprofessional way (Lagu et al., 2008). The article has also heightened my awareness of the need to maintain privacy settings, to be judicious when selecting whom to interact with online, and discuss boundary issues with my supervisors or managers.
In conclusion, I concur with the position of the author to the article in relation to the impact of WBSNs on the nurse-patient relationship, self-disclosure on online networks, and the need to be judicious when posting patient information and when selecting whom to interact with online. The article in my view has serious implications for my nursing practice which include but are not limited to the need to maintain professionalism and patient confidentiality in the new contexts.
References
Aytlott, M. (2011). Blurring the boundaries: Technology and the nurse-patient relationship. British Journal of Nursing, 20(13), 810-818.
Lagu, T., Kaufman, E. J., Asch, D. A., & Armstrong, K. (2008). Content of weblogs written by health professionals. J Gen Intern Med., 23(10), 1642–1646. doi: 10.1007/s11606-008- 0726-6.
Nurses Association of New Brunswick (2011). Practice Standard: The therapeutic nurse-client relationship. Retrieved from http://www.nanb.nb.ca/PDF/Practice_Standard-Nurse- Client_Relationship_E.pdf
Thompson, L. A., Dawson, K., Ferdig, R., Black, E. W., Boyer, J., Coutts, J., & Black, N. P. (2008). The intersection of online social networking with medical professionalism. J Gen Intern Med., 23(7), 954–957. doi: 10.1007/s11606-008-0538-8.
