Assignment Prompt
Social media plays a significant role in the lives of nurses in both their professional and personal lives. Additionally, social media is now considered a mainstream part of the process for recruiting and hiring candidates. Inappropriate or unethical conduct on social media can create legal problems for nurses as well as the field of nursing. Login to all social media sites in which you engage. Review your profile, pictures and posts. Based on the professional standards of nursing, identify items that would be considered unprofessional and potentially detrimental to your career and that negatively impact the reputation of the nursing field. In 500-750 words, summarize the findings of your review. Include the following: 1. Describe the posts or conversations in which you have engaged that might be considered inappropriate based on the professional standards of nursing. 2. Discuss why nurses have a responsibility to uphold a standard of conduct consistent with the standards governing the profession of nursing at work and in their personal lives. Include discussion of how personal conduct can violate HIPAA or be considered unethical or unprofessional. Provide an example of each to support your answer. 3. Based on the analysis of your social media, discuss what areas of your social media activity reflect Christian values as they relate to respecting human value and dignity for all individuals. Describe areas of your social media activity that could be improved.
Introduction
There has been an increased use of social media by individuals in all professions. Nursing is not an exemption as nurses uses social medial to connect with other people professionally and personally, facilitating conversations on best practices and advancement in healthcare. This paper will describe professionalism in social media use, the responsibility of nurses in upholding high standards of conduct, and human dignity and value in the provision of healthcare services.
Assessment of Social Media Identifying Professional Items
I have interacted with conversations on social media that I consider inappropriate in the nurses' professional standards. I have bumped into conversations where nurses discuss the cases of the patients and the decisions that have been made by patients regarding their care. For instance, I have read about a case where a nurse discussed details of when the patient refused to take medication despite her health deteriorating. He however preferred the pastor to be praying for her. Eventually, the patient succumbed despite her condition could have been managed using medication. At some point, the nurses gave some details on the hometown of the patient and how the family members reacted to the news. The entire conversation violated the patient's dignity and violated her privacy and confidentiality.
Nurse Responsibility to Uphold a Standard of Conduct
Nurses have a responsibility to deliver highly ethical and moral care. They should use their social media ethically and failure to do so is likely to result in various consequences. The consequences of unethical social media use are suspension from practice, fines, expulsion from school, license provocation, lawsuits, and loss of employment. The personal conduct of the nurses violates HIPAA by sharing too much information about their patients in their daily lives. This can breach the privacy and confidentiality of the patients (HIPAA, 2023). Nurses violate the social media guidelines by posting their unprofessional behavior and this is a reflection of their unethical conduct. They also violate their guidelines by sharing photographs of the patients and complaining on social media about their provision of patient care, and responsibilities in the workplace, colleagues, and employment place.
Human Value and Dignity for Others Consistent with the Christian Worldview
There are various social media areas that reflect the values of the Christian values and respect the dignity and value of the individuals. I have seen social media interviews where nurses have abstained from sharing the details of the patients. All patients are entitled to confidentiality despite of their gender, age, condition, medical condition, nationality, and demographics. Nurses should provide highly ethical and compassionate care and this matches the Christian values of treating all people with respect (Tehranineshat et al., 2019). Breaching the confidentiality of the patients implies that they are not respected as this information should not be shared with others without permission. There are various areas of my social media usage that I should rectify. My followers on social media consist of my colleagues at work, family, and patients. Some of my followers may mention or tag me in posts that openly discuss their health issues or the health issues of others. I can rectify this issue by having different accounts for different groups of people and rejecting mentions and tags that touch on the personal issues of the patients.
Conclusion
Nurses should use social media in a manner that does not violate their professional obligations. They should use their social media responsibly by not reaching the confidentiality and the privacy of the patients. Improper use of social media platforms is likely to lead to consequences such as suspension from practice, fines, expulsion from school, license provocation, lawsuits, and loss of employment. Social media use by nurses should uphold the value and dignity of the patients.
References
- HIPAA. (2023). HIPAA And Social Media Guidelines. The HIPAA Journal. https://www.hipaajournal.com/hipaa-social-media/
- Tehranineshat, B., Rakhshan, M., Torabizadeh, C., & Fararouei, M. (2019). Compassionate care in healthcare systems: a systematic review. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(5), 546-554. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0027968417303309
Related sample: Social Media and Professional Accountability in Nursing