Introduction
Social media have a significant impact on people’s lives and their professional growth. People who constantly communicate with others, especially in the healthcare sphere, should be aware of the rules to follow on social media. Violation of patient privacy, inappropriate posts, and unprofessional behavior can negatively impact a nurse’s personal and professional life, so a few rules while using social media should be considered.
Analysis of My Social Media
My social media reflects my life and are generally non-biased or unprofessional, but someone can regard a few posts and photos as unprofessional behavior. I mostly use Instagram and Facebook to communicate and share my experiences, especially in nursing. After reviewing my social media, I noticed that all my posts contain non-biased information about my experience with overcoming cancer. The photo I post does not contain pictures of alcohol or other harmful activity. Engaging in discussions that disrespect patients or colleagues, especially on social media, is considered unprofessional. On my pages, I avoid such discussions, so this option cannot be tolerated with my pages.
According to HIPAA, sharing patients information violates the Code of Ethics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Fortunately, my pages contain no personal data about patients. Instead, they have recommendations and assumptions. The analysis of my social media showed that I have no boundary violations, as I do not connect with patients or cross the professional line in our relationships. Hence, my accounts seem non-based and entirely professional because I follow professional online behavior standards.
The Need for Nurses to be Responsible for Social Media
A nurse must uphold standards to provide patients privacy and the best treatment. The appropriate behavior in social media ensures patient trust and safety. For instance, nurses are responsible for caring for vulnerable populations, so their actions, especially on social media, reflect the overall trustworthiness of the profession (Leading Regulatory Excellence, n.d d.). As a result, by maintaining professional standards in social media, nurses ensure patients safety and trust in the medical personnel. Nurses should align with the ethical principles of nursing. Otherwise, their medical activity can be endangered (American Nurse, 2018).
For example, nurses should consider non-maleficence, respect for autonomy, and goodwill to provide patients with trust and care. In addition, nurses should demonstrate compassion and integrity, especially when using online resources. According to HIPAA, even sharing photos of patients’ wounds severely violates patient safety, despite the nurse’s desire to share experiences and seek advice (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). In this case, nurses must balance maintaining professional and personal lives without hurting the patient. Thus, aligning with the standards of using social media by nurses can help avoid misunderstandings and severe violations of patients privacy.
The Role of Christian Values in Social Media
Reflection of Christian Values in social media can improve the trustworthiness of the nurse and enhance the respect for human values and dignity. Love, compassion, and respect are considered the core Christian Values, and ensuring them in the healthcare industry, especially in social media, will be helpful for my overall image as a nurse (Oaks Church of England Learning Federation, n.d.). I have already implemented a few strategies to improve this image.
For example, I share only positive stories, primarily based on my experience overcoming cancer. This way, I promote support and care to my subscribers and enhance my nursing activity. As a result, my stories use Christian values to demonstrate the caring nature of nursing and provide people with love, compassion, and support. In addition, using a positive background improves empathy, so people are more likely to follow my accounts and seek help without being misunderstood or judged. Therefore, using Christian values in social media enhances communication and improves trust between nurse and patient.
The Areas That Should Be Improved
Nevertheless, a few areas in my social media can be improved, especially a more informative environment can be created, and privacy and confidentiality should be boosted. Firstly, when posting stories, I should carefully proofread the material and ensure nobody is violated.
Secondly, I should follow the Code of Ethics and professional communication standards online to avoid misunderstandings. I do my best to have a respectful and inclusive online community, but it is impossible to consider everything. That is why I should pay attention to what I am saying and writing while communicating with the help of social media.
Thirdly, even though I am a nurse and can access patients’ data, I cannot post personal information about patients without their permission (NSO, n.d.). I should be more patient, and despite curiosity, it is banned from posting pictures of wounds or other relevant materials online on my pages. Hence, ethical considerations and information limits should be implemented to ensure the safety and appropriateness of my accounts.
Conclusion
To sum up, social media is integral to each person’s life and can significantly impact them. These online platforms can have a positive and negative impact on the professional life of a nurse, and the wrong use can lead to the loss of a nurse’s medical license. That is why, while using social media, various standards and rules should be followed to avoid misunderstanding and patient privacy violations. In my case, my accounts are non-biased, but the presence of information limitations should be improved.
References
American Nurse. (2018). Social Media and Your Nursing License: A Risky Mix. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). HIPAA Topic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Leading Regulatory Excellence. (n. d.). A nurse’s guide to the use of social media. NCSBN. Web.
NSO. (n.d.). Social media etiquette for nursing professionals. Web.
Oaks Church of England Learning Federation. (n.d.). Our Core Christian Values. Oaks Church of England Learning Federation. Web.