Introduction
Social media was established as a communication platform and has come a long way since its foundations. Many people in America and around the globe use the platform to connect, interact, share news, and disseminate information. Social media provides a good platform for health workers, especially nurses, to share health information and connect with the public. However, the media has limitations because not all health information is allowed to be shared with the public. For instance, according to the code of ethics and professionalism, healthcare workers are obligated to maintain utmost confidentiality of health matters concerning their patients, which is some information that should not be shared on public platforms. This paper will discuss the cons of social media concerning the nurse’s professionalism, education on the role and scope of practice, how to correct misinformation and the nursing standards of practice guidelines per Canadian resources.
Cons on professionalism
A major challenge with using social media platforms among nurses is knowing how to use them appropriately. In as much as they are guided by the codes of ethics and professional guidelines, some nurses still need to be conversant with how they can use social media platforms appropriately. For example, in Miami, a nurse lost her job after posting pictures of a baby with congenital disabilities on her Instagram (Pros and cons of social media for nursing professionals, 2022). The news reported that the nurse had posted two pictures of that baby, prompting the hospital to act against her. The hospital’s spokesperson stated that sharing such pictures violates the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy rules(Pros and cons of social media for nursing professionals, 2022). This depicts that nurses should be seriously concerned with patient privacy and confidentiality as per the HIPAA guidelines, which the nurse mentioned above had overstepped.
Another instance of a Portland-based nurse who, on November 2020, took it on her TikTok and disregarded the safety and healthy protocols concerning COVID-19 (Pros and cons of social media for nursing professionals, 2022). The post gathered millions of viewers but landed her career in trouble after her employer landed her post. The nurse had flaunted how she still traveled amidst COVID without a mask and how her kids were still wet on date plays. The employer put her on compulsory administrative leave and assured the social media that the post by their employee was careless. Salem Hospitals upholds health protocols and practices against the pandemic. This scenario is an example of many that healthcare workers are to be on the frontline in advocating for healthy practices, especially amid a health crisis. The nurses can teach health practices while living by example and showcasing healthy practices via their social media platforms.
Another disadvantage of using social media platforms for nurses is that if any misleading information is posted online, it is likely to be taken as a fact and end up misleading many people. Furthermore, once this information is posted, it is not easy to get rid of because the internet offers no privacy regarding information storage. Even if the information is deleted, other parties might have downloaded the information, or it is kept in other clouds. Again, only a few social media platforms comply with HIPAA guidelines, including, Email, Skype, and Google Hangouts. That means all other information shared on some media platforms is not screened for HIPAA compliance, thus, can lead to violation (Bettencourt, n.d.). Therefore, nurses are left with no option but to refrain from posting pictures or information concerning the health of their patients. Violation of HIPAA guidelines can lead to professional disciplinary actions such as fines, suspension, firing, license revoking, expulsion from the nursing school, criminal charges, or incarceration (Bettencourt, n.d.).
Education about the role and scope of practice
Nurse practitioners are educationally prepared for their scope of practice through training, nursing school teaching, and experience qualifications. For instance, APRNs (advanced practice registered nurses must have attained a master, postmaster, or doctorate in nursing for them to be certified. This educational exposure equips them with clinical competency and specialized education that allows them to work and attend to patients in different facilities (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2019). With competence, nurses can engage in patient roles such as evaluation, diagnosis, and management pharmacologically or through patient education programs. They can serve in both inpatient and outpatient sectors due to their advanced experiences in handling patients as an entity by taking care of their health and general well-being.
Correcting misinformation
Correcting health misinformation might pose a challenge because once this information is uploaded, it is not easy to get rid of it, for the internet offers no privacy regarding information storage. Even if the information is deleted, other parties might have downloaded the information, or it is kept in other clouds. However, by use of acts of authentication and correction (Bautista et al., 2021), health workers can correct some of the misinformation on social media. The process involves the internal and external authentication acts to prove the accuinformation’s accuracy and the author’s legitimacy the information is deemed as inaccurate, it is taken via the second face of correction to provide the correct information before dissemination on social media platforms (Bautista et al., 2021). In case of leaked misinformation, the data can be corrected by providing more accurate information on social media to overshadow the inaccurate one. This approach requires a lot of patience, compassion, and empathy, especially when counseling misinformed patients and providing them with evidence-based information and practices (Roberts, n.d.).
Nursing standards of practice guidelines as per the Canadian sources
The CNA (Canadian Nurses Association) provides registered nurses with a framework of practice guidelines, originally founded in 2007 and updated in 2015. it provides a general understanding of the registered nurse roles among the nurses themselves, the student nurses, and other stakeholders such as employers and policymakers. The framework contains many elements, one major being the theoretical foundation of registered nurse practice guidelines (Canadian Nurses Association n.d.). Some practice guidelines include engagement in ethical and professional practices, public protection via self-regulation, use of EBP (evidence-based practice), and being accountable, responsible, and professional (Standards of Practice, 2019).
References
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2019). Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners. American Association of Nurse Practitioners; AANP Website. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/advocacy-resource/position-statements/scope-of-practice-for-nurse-practitioners
Bautista, J. R., Zhang, Y., & Gwizdka, J. (2021). Healthcare professionals’ acts of correcting health misinformation on social media. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 148, 104375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104375
Bettencourt, E. (n.d.). Nurses and Social Media — The Advantages and Disadvantages. Blog.diversitynursing.com. https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/nurses-and-social-media-the-advantages-and-disadvantages
Pros and Cons of Social Media for Nursing Professionals. (2022, March 8). Bradley University Online. https://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/blog/social-media-in-nursing/
RN Practice Framework – Canadian Nurses Association. (n.d.). Www.cna-Aiic.ca. https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/nursing/regulated-nursing-in-canada/rn-practice-framework2
Roberts, I. (n.d.). Research Guides: Correcting Misinformation with Patients: Resources. Guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu. https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/correcting-misinformation
Standards of Practice. (2019). Nscn.ca. https://www.nscn.ca/professional-practice/practice-standards/standards-practice
write