Use of Social Media in Nursing - Coursework Example

Use of Social Media in Nursing Name: Institution: Use of Social Media in Nursing Introduction Social media are methods of connecting with others using electronic gadgets of communication such as the internet thus creating online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (Barry and Hardiker 2012). Social media platforms/technologies have become essential in building an interactive platform of interaction between the healthcare professionals and patients. According to Cioni and Lovari (2014) social media technology is an integrated platform of various types of electronic, communication and media technologies. Several social media forums like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are used daily by patients and healthcare professionals for formal interactions, as well as other contemporary sharing platforms like YouTube, Google docs, wiki, blogs that have made research in the medical field easier. Social media has gained acceptance by the community over the years. It is widely used to administer health information to the public. However, nurses should remain professional and lawful when using social media as they risk losing their registration and student wishing to join the register should also observe the code. Nurses are encouraged to “Use all forms of spoken, written and digital communication (including social media and networking sites) responsibly.” Benefits of using social media in nursing profession 1. Provides a means for faster transmission of healthcare information. The number of registered nurses in the UK in Facebook is around 35,000 (NMC, 2012).This data counts only for the UK, generally there could be thousands maybe millions of nurses operating official sites to disseminate medical information and actively interactive with the general public in need of urgent accurate health information. This is an easier way of reaching millions of people from different communities and passing on common information to all, this way nurses have access to more individuals than they would in their normal practice areas. Dissemination of accurate, actionable medical information may result in improvement of general health and well-being of patients as well as the growth of patients ‘number in healthcare organizations (Donelle and Booth 2012). It is also possible to easily exchange patients medical history from their personal files from one nurse to the other which will encourage faster diagnosis of the patient, this must be done with the permission of the patient and confidentiality must prevail at all levels to avoid violation of patients’ rights and the code. Social media has increased access to information for patients as well as healthcare providers. 2. It creates a platform for nurses to access nursing support networks Nurses and midwifes have several professional bodies like Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, American Nurses Association, which the newly registered nurses can use to get the professional support of other experienced nurses and experts in their field. Most nurses, midwives and healthcare bodies have social blogs or have the presence on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter this provides an opportunity to interact and share views, experiences and interest with other nurses around the world. In choosing the groups to join and the healthcare professional to seek advice from and discuss clinical matters with, nurses must be cautious and ensure that they only interact with individuals or groups that operate as per the social media guidelines stated in the code. 3. Provides the opportunity for learning, and accessing a wider range of health information for continuing career development. The International Council of Nurses( ICN) operate an online forum by nurses globally creating discussion forums for educators, students, nursing regulators, advanced practice nurse, and nurses engaged in rural and remote practice settings. This creates an opportunity for nursing professionals to learn and be updated on the current development affairs in healthcare (Gholami-Kordkheili, Wild and Strech 2013). World Health Organization, (WHO) have Facebook and Twitter pages that they use to spread awareness on certain health issues, address rumors and provide educative information for healthcare consumers and interested parties like nurses. Nurses can access quality, reliable and accurate information provided by experienced experts in various fields posted on these sites. According to Longley, Shaw and Dolan (2007), Social media can assist nursing faculty to help student’s gain greater understanding of communication, professionalism, health policy, and ethics. This paves the way for nurses to develop their careers further. 4. Provides an opportunity for learning about industry trends and breakthrough Interactive social media platforms engaging nurses worldwide and other healthcare professionals provide an opportunity for nurses to learn about new discoveries in research, medicine, advancement in clinical technologies and related healthcare breakthrough. Nurses even those working on missions outside the country or in the interior parts of the world can access up to date information on healthcare and clinical matters (MacLellan et al. 2015). To get the latest information, nurses can like and follow pages with reliable information example, Center for Disease control (CDC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), American Nurses Association (ANA) and also visit the blog sites for various nurses and find out what’s trending and their advice on various topics. Benefits provided by use of social media by nurses are many, however when proper measure and guidelines are not put in place or are push aside to pursue the personal interest, the risks can outweigh the benefits. Below we discuss some of the risks or drawbacks of using social media by nursing professionals. Barriers and risks associated with the use of social media in nursing 1. Breach of patient privacy and confidentiality policies The codes of conducts for nurses do not allow nurses to discuss their patients’ clinical matters with and colleagues outside of work either with friends or strangers. According to the conduct codes for Australian nurses, as a nurse has the responsibility to keep patient information confidential during provision of medical care. When these codes are violated the patients’ rights is violated and a nurse can be stripped off his/her registration by the registering body. Nurses thus have the responsibility to handle their patients discretely and only disclose the information if authorized by the patient or if it’s deemed lawful and professional by the governing body and the employer policies and guidelines relating to social media use. Paina and Peters (2012) further advice nurses to read the social networking site’s privacy policies to be able to understand how the information they post will be used and who will have storage authority to the information. 2. Giving misguided, false or outdated information as facts Social media sites are filled with misleading health information ranging from natural remedies to cure certain allergies and certain ailments, unorthodox means to perform certain clinical procedures and ‘wonder’ products backed by strong online marketing strategies that often leaves the healthcare consumer more confused and misinformed into making wrong decisions. According to Barry and Hardiker (2012), nurses must be careful about the blog sites and fan pages they like and follow as this could imply their support of the content materials generated by such sites and also mislead healthcare consumers who rely on their opinion to make decisions. Information in social media sites can be copied and shared with multiple users and groups; it’s impossible to stop permanently its circulation to various users even if it’s deleted. Healthcare professionals must, therefore, practice due diligence in using social media and verify all the information before posting to avoid giving unreliable advice to consumers. Cioni and Lovari (2014) explains that nurses and midwifes should always think before posting information online as once this is done, it can be copied and be redistributed. Further to this Donelle and Booth (2012) states that “the falsification of information, are the most common determinants of individual and institutional fear against the use of social media to conduct medical and health care tasks such as communication with patients. 3. Ethical issues Numerous ethical issues surround the use of social media and social networking sites by nurses. Professional standards of practice and behavior for nurses and midwives ,the code reminds nurses to stay objective and have clear professional boundaries at all times with people in their care, their families and careers (Gholami-Kordkheili, Wild and Strech 2013). Pursuing and maintaining relationships with healthcare consumers and patients via social media is discouraged because it is very difficult to maintain professionalism in such circumstances. Violation of the ethical codes of conducts relating to social media set by professional bodies and also the respective employer policies and guidelines for social media that are very strict may result in withdrawal of registration for registered nurses and student nurses this may mean not being qualified to be registered. These consequences may deter nurses and student nurses from using social media, therefore, missing out on the benefit. Example, NMC, (2015) warns nurses of posting pictures of patients without their consent and posting inappropriate comments about patients. This they say may cause student nurses not be registered and registered nurses losing their license. 4. The rapid advancement of social media technologies and lack of adequate training of nurses by their nursing faculty about these technologies and their application limits nurses from effectively using social media. Nurses and student nurses should understand the different techniques used by different social media sites to be able to get the full benefits of using social media when this is not done it becomes a barrier to the user. Technology advances are at a high rate that is hard to keep up with, failure to understand how different networking sites works, their policies and the applications available may lead to the violation of the code and employer policies on social media use. Longley, Shaw and Dolan (2007) agrees that nursing programs may not be providing enough technological training to adequately meet student needs, desires, or the Technology Informatics Guiding Educational Reform (TIGER) competencies. They further state that lack of familiarity with technology is barriers for nursing faculty in the adoption of new technology into curricula. Conclusion From the discussion above, it can be concluded that the benefits of social media uses in nursing are as many as the drawbacks or barrier. The difference in the outcome depends on how nurses use the media, their understanding of social media tools usage including the privacy policy and technologies available. Social media has the wide range of users from student nurses, registered nurses to nursing faculty and other professionals in healthcare. NMC (2015) encourages nurses to use social media responsibly by: staying informed on the various social media applications available, how they work and the benefits and risks associated with each social media tool. Further nurses are cautioned against posting contents online without giving them much thought; nurses should be cautious before posting anything as once the information is posted it can be copied and redistributed without your consent. Nurses must protect their professionalism and reputation, whatever information you post online should not compromise your professionalism by considering what the nursing codes of conducts say about social media as well as employers policies and regulations, nurses can protect their practice. American Nurses Association (2011, September) gives out principles and tips to which guides nurses in their use of social media, these principles or guidelines are meant to guard against the many risks associated with the reckless use of social media. ANA’s principles for social networking are summarized as below: 1. Nurses are warned against posting patient information that can identify the patients personally. 2. Nurses are reminded to observe patient-nurse professional boundaries that are contained in the nurses’ code of ethics. 3. When posting information on social networks, nurses are reminded that this information can be accessed and viewed by their colleagues, employers, and patients as well. 5. Upon stumbling on harmful contents to patients’ privacy, confidentiality, rights and welfare, nurses should notify relevant authorities on these. 6. Nurses should participate in developing institutional policies governing online conduct. ANA also gives nurses basic tips to use to avoid problems when using social media. 1. ANA advice nurse to apply the same professional standard when using social media as they would in ordinary circumstances. 2. Nurses are urged not to post or share any pictures or information that may have been obtained through patient-nurse relationship or at the place of work. 3. While using social media nurses should avoid making disrespectful, abusive, ethnic, religious or offensive remarks about patients, colleagues or the employers even if the information posted cannot personally identify the individual n question. 4. Nurses are warned against taking video, audios or photos on their personal devices including but not limited to digital cameras, mobile phones as this can be easily tampered with or the information may be tempting to share online. 6. Nurses must promptly report any violation of confidentiality or privacy as soon as they become aware of it. References Barry, J., & Hardiker, N.2012. Advancing nursing practice through social media: A global perspective. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,17(3). Cioni, E., & Lovari, A. 2014. Social Media for Health Communication: Implementation Issues and Challenges. Social Media and Mobile Technologies for Healthcare, 237. Donelle, L., & Booth, R. G. 2012. Health tweets: an exploration of health promotion on twitter. Online journal of issues in nursing, 17(3). Gholami-Kordkheili, F., Wild, V., & Strech, D. 2013. The impact of social media on medical professionalism: a systematic qualitative review of challenges and opportunities. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(8). Longley, M., Shaw, C., & Dolan, G. 2007. Nursing: towards 2015. Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of Glamorgan. MacLellan, L., Higgins, I., & Levett‐Jones, T. 2015. Medical acceptance of the nurse practitioner role in Australia: A decade on. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 27(3), 152-159. Paina, L., & Peters, D. H. 2012. Understanding pathways for scaling up health services through the lens of complex adaptive systems. Health Policy and Planning, 27(5), 365-373. Read More