To a great extent, there are various inherent risks with online websites and social media. At first, there are high uncertainties of increased identity theft and invasion of privacy. For example, since one’s information is an asset, a database breach can result in sharing the crucial database with strangers, including date of birth and credit card numbers, which could lead to financial losses (Bautista et al., 2021). In addition, reputational risks and cyberbullying can make an organization lose its clients or make a person experience suicidal and homicidal ideation.
However, several opportunities exist to use online health information websites and social media effectively. Firstly, medical practitioners utilize social media to raise public awareness and combat misinformation (Gupta et al., 2022). In addition, online websites can be deployed as a communication tool during a crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, other opportunities to use social media and healthcare websites are when planning to promote citizen engagement, answer common treatment queries, and expand the reach of recruitment efforts.
Significantly, one of the most utilized social media is Facebook. Regarding the overview of the use, approximately 90% of medical professionals deploy Facebook daily (Naslund et al., 2020). Considerably, Facebook gives physicians the tools to share information, facilitate health behaviors, debate multiple healthcare policies, engage with the general public, and educate and socialize with caregivers and victims.
Nevertheless, one of the typical risks associated with Facebook is violating clients’ confidentiality and privacy by intentionally and inappropriately posting their photos and identification database. Other notable uncertainties related to Facebook involve the danger of self-diagnosis of patients and time consumption, which may make doctors neglect their duties (Wang et al., 2019). Finally, my recommendations for nursing concerning the appropriate use of Facebook include that nurses comprehend the privacy of shared content, observe ethical patient-physician boundaries, and not share victims’ information.
References
Bautista, J. R., Zhang, Y., & Gwizdka, J. (2021). Healthcare professionals’ acts of correcting health misinformation on social media.International Journal of Medical Informatics, 148(2), 104370-104375.
Gupta, P., Khan, A., & Kumar, A. (2022). Social media use by patients in health care: A scoping review. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 15(2), 121-131.
Naslund, J. A., Bondre, A., Torous, J., & Aschbrenner, K. A. (2020). Social media and mental health: Benefits, risks, and opportunities for research and practice. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 5(3), 245-257.
Wang, Z., Wang, S., Zhang, Y., & Jiang, X. (2019). Social media usage and online professionalism among registered nurses: A cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 98(7), 19-26.