The advent of social media has cut across all industries. In this regard, the penetration rate of the internet and the ownership of smartphones have further exacerbated the issue. As a result, the world has become a global village following the establishment of connections that have disintegrated geographical barriers of communication. Nurses have not been left behind this trend that has swept across the world. In the majority of hospitals, individuals are busy looking through their smartphones. Owing to the popularity of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, a large percentage of these smartphone users are using these applications on their phones. This situation is in accordance with the prevailing statistics as carried out by the Pew Research Center. In this regard, 85% of the American population is online. In addition, approximately 50% of all phone owners have smartphones (Pew Research Center, 2016). This trend illustrates the dominance of technology in all spheres of human lives. As such, this concept has caught up with the healthcare scene as a result of the accrual of potential benefits from their use. However, owing to the aspect of sensitivity associated with the profession as a result of smartphone usage. In this regard, this paper will shed light on this issue, highlighting the relevant strengths and weaknesses of the use of social media for nurses, as well as offer insightful recommendations that can provide a balanced application of its use in nurses’ contexts.
The introduction of smartphones revolutionalized communication. In this regard, the traditional communication devices such as faxes were replaced by faster, efficient, convenient, and effective devices that translated similar attributes to communication (McDaniel et al., 2012). As such, individuals could be connected from different regions through the use of face-to-face interaction following the introduction of various smartphone applications. In this case, applications such as Skype allowed communication to transcend geographical borders to an extent of conversing on a face-to-face basis. As a result, the interaction was forged on a more personalized scale. Hence, healthcare providers are able to maintain communication with their patients irrespective of any place on earth. In addition, the creation of other communication apps has also enhanced communication for healthcare practitioners (McDaniel et al., 2012). In this case, the primary means of official communication has been identified as email. As such, as opposed to using one’s laptop or desktop computers, one can easily send an email using a smartphone. In this case, this option creates the convenience that is not provided by the proceeding devices. This is indicated by the small size of the device that promotes its portability status. As such, one can conveniently send emails to colleagues and patients.
Owing to the large amounts of information found on the internet, this element is essential to healthcare practice. In this regard, individuals can consult the internet for information from other professionals. This situation guides the practice as sharing of information has led to individuals improving the quality of healthcare provided to patients. In this case, healthcare practitioners including nurses can keep up with innovative techniques and discoveries made from studies about relevant issues that affect the industry. In this case, one can improve their work output and increase the value of patient’s care.
The consideration of a healthy patient-provider relationship is important to every practitioner. As such, individuals strive to enhance the quality of this arrangement in order to yield potential benefits from such an arrangement in which case has improved the quality of care on behalf of the patient, and improved efficiency on the part of the healthcare provider. As indicated above, the advent of smartphones has led to the introduction of healthcare-directed applications that are meant to improve service delivery (McDaniel et al., 2012). For instance, the creation of the innovative idea of the Smartphone Physical that uses the phone as a main medical instrument used by practitioners to conduct physical exams. Smartphone technologies have brought the patient closer to healthcare professionals, as a result of improved interaction.
On the other hand, smartphone and social media usage have threatened the sensitive field of healthcare. In this regard, practitioners are bound by policies to maintain patients’ confidentiality (Liginlal, 2015). This is in reference to the guiding procedures that establish grounds that facilitate this achievement. In this case, the law has taken this aspect into consideration through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In this regard, the law provides for the protection of every patient’s health information. The failure to adhere to this rule attracts serious professional and legal repercussions. In the scenario provided, taking pictures of the patient’s medical sheet that contains information about his home address and phone number is a contravention of this law (McGowan, (2012). As such the nurse in question is subject to undergo legal proceedings lodged against her of failing to protect the patient’s information. The leaked pictures of the singer created a negative public image to make the already bad situation worse (Liginlal, 2015). As a result, this compromised the singer’s standing in the community and attracted unwarranted media attention. In addition, this situation led to the betrayal of trust by the patient and adversely affected the patient-provider relationship (McGowan, (2012). The nurse in question could have avoided this situation by securing the patient’s information. As a result, nurses are required to safeguard patients’ interests and protecting him/her from harm. The scenario provided goes against the ideal concept.
In addition, the nurse in this context acted unprofessionally by taking photos of the patient without his authorization. This projected a negative image as she contravened hospital and professional policies to engage in such behavior (McGowan, (2012). The consequence of the scenario provided is on two different counts, one of going against the Code of Ethics and the second of breaking the law, more specifically, the HIPAA law. These crimes are subject to review by the hospital board as the scenario later illustrated leading to the nurse’s suspension following the negative media attention in the hospital, as it displayed an adverse public perception that illustrated the hospital as incapable of maintaining patients’ confidentiality. Ethically speaking, nurses’ actions were morally wrong as per the standards established by the nursing code; in this case, taking pictures of a patient while unconscious to seek better standing with a friend is unethical behavior (Liginlal, 2015).
The provided scenario has been as a result of the use of a smartphone. This illustrates the vulnerability of these devices in instances where adequate security controls are not available. In this case, the patient’s details taken from his medical records are left exposed to technological insecurities that may result from hacking (McGowan, (2012). As such, this creates the situation as is witnessed in the scenario.
Conclusion
In relation to the scenario provided, one needs to fully understand the scope of patients’ confidentiality and take adequate steps to safeguard this aspect. In spite of the many advantages created by smartphones, the same devices, if not used well can lead to disastrous effects if not properly managed. This is proven in the scenario that left the nurse suspended for three months as a result of this consideration. For this reason, nurses should take considerable care and go to great lengths to safeguard their patient’s information. As a result, this will lead to the fulfillment of the Nursing code as well as ensure professional and ethical undertaking as guided by established policies and procedures.
Reference
Liginlal, D. (2015). HIPAA and Human Error: The Role of Enhanced Situation Awareness in Protecting Health Information. In Medical Data Privacy Handbook (pp. 679-696). Springer International Publishing.
McDaniel, B. T., Coyne, S. M., & Holmes, E. K. (2012). New mothers and media use: Associations between blogging, social networking, and maternal well-being. Maternal and child health journal, 16(7), 1509-1517.
McGowan, C. (2012). Patients’ confidentiality. Critical care nurse, 32(5), 61-64.
Pew Research Center. (2016). Social Networking Fact Sheet | Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/
