A variety of patient data is given to healthcare workers. Healthcare professionals are free to act in any way they see fit because massive amounts of information are available. We Can, But Are We Daring? The patient’s day-to-day care is specifically the responsibility of nurses. They spend the most time with patients and eventually develop a trusting relationship in which patients freely share every aspect of their lives. What will be done with all of the information, especially in this technologically advanced age? In this day and age, technologies are within our reach. Healthcare workers leverage technology to provide more evidence-based practice, improve patient care, and educate patients. Sadly, disclosing sensitive patient personal information violates patient safety and privacy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2020, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted by the federal government to safeguard patients’ private information (Moore & Frye, 2019). It is a problem and a violation of HIPAA when patient information is stolen from healthcare facilities’ use of these technologies. HIPAA is occasionally broken, and those who are supposed to guard it, intentionally or unintentionally, occasionally leak vital information.
HIPAA, Legal, and Regulatory Discussion
In August 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the HIPAA law for the first time (Moore & Frye, 2019)). The patient’s name, date of birth, address, and other information identifying the patient are examples of information that HIPAA protects. Additionally, HIPAA safeguards the patient’s present, future, and past medical records.
Smartphones are changing the game regarding giving patients the best care possible.
It makes it easier for the patient’s healthcare team to communicate with each other. Some facilities also allow physicians to manage patient care using personal devices. Additionally, no law prohibits healthcare workers from carrying cell phones at work. Because of this, the individuals tasked with safeguarding patients’ personal information are committing an increasing number of data breaches, both intentionally and unintentionally. Physicians must adhere to specific HIPAA guidelines when using smartphones for patient care. If a personal device is used, it must be password-protected, not set to automatic login, fingerprint-protected if possible, have an automatic lock for idle time, and have a remote wipe feature in case it is lost or stolen, according to the guidelines (Nethers & Milstead, 2022). The HIPAA regulations are further broken down into rules based on how the device is used. The developer should not have access to the information or the right to store it if an app is encrypted on a mobile device. Email should also be encrypted if it is being used on the device.HIPAA does not recommend texting, but if necessary, the patient’s information should be protected using a secure and encrypted texting app.
More than 1.7 billion people have access to social media websites like Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (Hannahcurrey, 2022).
These social media websites make it easy for people to share their personal information. They geotag everything and post pictures. Some people even post free photos and videos of their daily lives online, giving everyone access to their routine. Healthcare professionals have access to information about a patient’s day-to-day life that they can easily share with social media. We Can, But Are We Dating? Any site that uses a patient’s information, picture, or medical data, whether for research or advertising, must obtain the patient’s consent (Nettrour et al., 2019). Patients want to know exactly how their data is consumed.
Scenario Ending and Recommendations
After assessing the patient, the nurse leaves the phone on the bedside table and walks out. The shift came to an end, and the nurse departed for home. When she got home, she realized she had left her phone at the hospital but could not remember where. She starts heading back to the hospital. Meanwhile, day shift nurses noticed a cell phone on the bedside table. Without knowing whom the phone belonged to, she unlocked it to see if she could figure out who it was. She sees pictures of the patient lying in the hospital bed the night before. In shock, she stares at the pictures and quickly locks the phone. Patients should be confident in nurses’ ability not to divulge sensitive personal information to unauthorized persons. The nurse took pictures of the star for her interest, breaking the patient’s trust even without realizing it. Taking explicit pictures of patients, basic or health information, and results break HIPAA protocols. The nurse should have implemented several other things to avoid violating the patient’s confidentiality. The nurse should have prioritized the delivery of exceptional services to the patient. As this nurse delayed the patient’s treatment to take pictures, she ignored the patient’s privacy and security concerns and proceeded to interact with her friends instead of attending to the patines.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The use of cell phones has numerous advantages and disadvantages. A primary benefit of cell phones in healthcare settings is seamless communication. Physicians cannot always be in the same building as all their patients, so they rely heavily on nurses to call them when their patients’ conditions change. A disadvantage is social media. Society is so caught up in social media that some forget the rules of the land, aka hospital. In this scenario, we see a nurse who takes pictures of her patient to send to her friend. However, the nurse cannot prevent her friend from sharing the photos on Instagram, Facebook, or elsewhere. People use social media as a significant source of communication with friends, family, and even strangers.
Moreover, cell phones provide healthcare workers with seamless access to reference materials and associated healthcare data. Nurses can easily access information on medications, procedures, and health conditions by searching the internet. A second disadvantage is that smartphones are an increasing source of distraction. Several things can be distracting while working, but cell phone usage is in the top five. If you hear a notification on your phone, you automatically think about who and what it is. However, distractions can impair a nurse’s ability to provide optimal healthcare services.
Conclusion and Reflections
In the healthcare industry, technology can be beneficial as well as harmful. It is a great way to raise awareness about a subject, find emotional support groups, meet new people, and possibly look for a job. Sadly, technology facilitates access to patient information without their consent, intentionally or unintentionally. It is never acceptable to take a picture of a patient with a smartphone, regardless of whether the patient is a celebrity.
It is against the NPA, the ANA code of ethics, and HIPAA. Patient privacy violations can result in license suspension and job loss. In an oath, patients’ privacy was pledged to healthcare workers, and nothing should violate that promise (Nethers & Milstead, 2022). As can be seen, both our personal and professional lives are significantly impacted by electronic devices. We must learn when to turn off social media and when to use it now that it is so accessible. A nurse has a lot on her plate, so we cannot be ignorant about how to use social media. While providing care to patients, we should always keep the confidentiality of our patients and our understanding of HIPAA regulations at the forefront of our minds.
The issue is not with social media use; The problem lies in how we use it. Social media is usable in healthcare for many good reasons, but it can be hard to do so with caution. According to Giustini et al. (2018), nurses can use social media to their personal and professional advantage without sacrificing patient confidentiality or privacy. Before it is too late, ask a nurse manager or supervisor to direct you in the right direction if you are doubtful.
References
Hannahcurrey. (2022, April 21). More than 5 billion people now use the internet. We Are Social Hong Kong. https://wearesocial.com/hk/blog/2022/04/more-than-5-billion-people-now-use-the-internet/
Giustini, D. M., Ali, S. M., Fraser, M., & Boulos, M. N. (2018). Effective uses of social media in public health and medicine: A systematic review of systematic reviews. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v10i2.8270
Moore, W., & Frye, S. (2019). Review of HIPAA, Part 1: History, protected health information, and privacy and security rules. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 47(4), 269–272. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.119.227819
Nethers, S. B., & Milstead, J. A. (2022). Future perspectives on nursing policy, technology, education, and practice. Nursing Clinics of North America, 57(4), 627–638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2022.06.010
Nettrour, J. F., Burch, M. B., & Bal, B. S. (2019). Patients, pictures, and privacy: Managing clinical photographs in the smartphone era. Arthroplasty Today, 5(1), 57-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artd.2018.10.001
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