A HIPAA violation has occurred because nurses can use their phones for work purposes. Since I did not have a work-issued phone in the scenario, I used my phone to access the EMR. This violates HIPAA because the portable computer and my phone are covered entities under HIPAA (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). Since my cell phone has been acting up, this violates HIPAA because client data was exposed to the media. The use of social media is becoming more popular in healthcare settings, with many hospitals and medical practices using Facebook and Twitter pages to share information with patients and other healthcare professionals (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). However, some healthcare providers have faced legal action for posting inappropriate comments on their social media. Healthcare providers need to ensure that their employees understand the importance of these policies and their privacy rights under HIPAA. This post will discuss the HIPAA, legal and regulatory, and scenario ending and recommendations. It also focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in healthcare. It finally summarizes the new information learned after taking the assignment and reflects how the new knowledge would impact the future.
Technology in nursing care can be both good and bad. Technology in nursing care can benefit patient care, enhance care quality and safety, improve communication, reduce errors, increase efficiency, decrease costs and save time for nurses. However, unintended consequences of technology use can increase error rates, decreased patient satisfaction, and dissatisfaction with nursing care (Cannon & Caldwell, 2016). As technology advances in nursing care, there are new ways that nurses can provide quality care for their patients.
Computers in nursing have become a necessity in the healthcare field because they allow nurses to perform their jobs more efficiently than without them. For example, if a nurse were responsible for checking on multiple patients who were all located in different areas of the hospital, they would be able to do so much easier using a computer than without it. There are also many other ways that computers in nursing are beneficial to patients and nurses alike. Nursing technology has improved concerning patients’ privacy and HIPAA standards (Agbo et al., 2019). There is now an app that can be downloaded onto a smartphone and allows the patient to give their consent for the nurse to access their medical records. The healthcare regulations and the HIPAA standards have also been revised to include this technology (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). This is very important because it shows that nursing technology is moving in the right direction regarding protecting patients’ privacy and allowing nurses to best care for their patients.
Similar to the scenario provided, another case would be a nurse at home and receiving a call from the hospital that she is supposed to work the next day. She logs onto her EMR on her phone to check her schedule. As she looks at her program, she notices that three patients are assigned to her. She then decides to look up each patient’s information to get more details. She finds out that one patient has a latex allergy and is currently taking Coumadin (warfarin). As she scrolls down, she sees a list of medications for the patient, specifically Coumadin tablets. The nurse then decides to look up the name of the drug in Google because he has never heard of it before and wants more information about it. A couple of days later, he goes into work as scheduled and does not follow proper procedures when giving medications; therefore, he administers Coumadin (warfarin) instead of Bactrim.
In response to the situation, the nurse recognized his mistake and called the pharmacy to tell them about his mistake. The nurse then proceeded to go through the steps of giving Bactrim instead of Coumadin. The hospital took immediate action to help prevent further complications by following up with the patient and investigating what happened. As a result, they were able to find out that a misinterpretation of orders caused this mistake and that there was no negligence involved in this case.
Healthcare providers can prevent medication errors by constantly keeping themselves updated with new technology such as EMRs and following proper procedures when administering medications (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). Further recommendations to curb the situation would be to have better methods of communication between the pharmacy and the nurses so that they can check each other’s work. The hospital should have written policies to ensure that if a patient receives two different medications, the nurse double fits with the pharmacist to ensure they are giving the proper medication. If this had occurred in a less severe situation, it could have been prevented with appropriate documentation and by following reasonable procedures when administering medications.
Agbo et al. (2019) and Cannon & Caldwell (2016) support the recommendations by stating that patients should be educated about their medications. The pharmacy should double-check medicines with the patient. The nurse should always verify that they are giving the proper remedy. Cannon & Caldwell (2016) also states that nurses need to be educated on preventing medication errors by having them read more on the subject and ask pharmacists questions when they are unsure.
Appropriate use of technology in healthcare is beneficial to the healthcare provider and the patient. Patients can be discharged from the hospital quicker if they have their device with EMR capabilities, such as smartphones or tablets. They can go home and continue communicating with their healthcare providers regarding their care. They can also send their health information directly to the physician, who has access to it right away. Furthermore, patients can quickly receive prescriptions and medical results sent electronically using a personal device and an electronic medical record system.
On the other hand use of technology in healthcare poses a risk to the patients and the healthcare providers. Patients’ devices are not always secure, so their information is susceptible to security breaches. Personal devices can be lost or stolen. Unauthorized people can access patients’ personal information. There is also a potential for data loss if a patient’s device is damaged or changes their device and does not receive their information from the previous widget (Cannon & Caldwell, 2016).
Professional and ethical principles guiding the appropriate use of technology in healthcare include: The use of technology in healthcare can improve the quality of care while increasing efficiency and reducing costs. There are many benefits to using technology in healthcare. Some of these include: Improved disease management, Improved medical education, Improved medical research, Improved patient safety, and increased patient satisfaction. Technology risk management is essential to protect patients, providers, and organizations. Technology risk management includes: Preventing the introduction of new technology, Assessing risks and protecting patients, Providing training and education to staff.
After completing this assignment and from the scenarios on HIPAA violations, I learned that it is imperative to follow the guidelines established for healthcare professionals. I knew that many different types of technology are used in the healthcare field. It is essential to understand and identify each because they each have a specific function and purpose. I learned that there are also many risks associated with using technology in healthcare, so it is imperative to understand how to protect patients and yourself adequately. There are also many ethical principles guiding the appropriate use of technology in healthcare that should be followed to ensure quality patient care and safety. This new knowledge will impact the future of my career and how I will be able to provide the best care for my patients. I will be able to apply this knowledge to my practice and help my patients in the best way possible.
References
Agbo, C. C., Mahmoud, Q. H., & Eklund, J. M. (2019, June). Blockchain technology in healthcare: a systematic review. In Healthcare (Vol. 7, No. 2, p. 56). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/7/2/56
Cannon, A. A., & Caldwell, H. (2016). HIPAA violations among nursing students: teachable moment or terminal mistake—a case study. J Nurs Educ Pract, 6(12), 41-48. https://asset-pdf.scinapse.io/prod/2496025806/2496025806.pdf
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=
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