Question

A 14-year old patient was seen at your hospital's ER after a car accident. The patient’s parents make it clear to the staff that they are not willing to give consent to any procedure involving blood products or transfusion. The doctor explains the risk to the parents. After the parents leave the room, the patient tells the nurse that she is afraid of dying and would like any care, including blood procedures and products, that could save her life. The nurse later finds out that the rejection by the parents was due to religious reasons. The nurse quickly discusses the case with fellow employees, one of whom posts comments on her social media page using a clinic-owned computer.

The Director of Risk Management asks you to summarize the security, privacy, and confidentiality breaches that occurred in this case in a memo. Your 2-page double-spaced memo should outline the risks and explain ways to avoid these risks in the future. It should also discuss how the use of information systems in this case relates to the violations. Support your discussion with references.

Answer 1

Many social media tools are available for health care professionals (HCPs), including social networking platforms, blogs, microblogs, wikis, media-sharing sites, and virtual reality and gaming environments.

These tools can be used to improve or enhance professional networking and education, organizational promotion, patient care, patient education, and public health programs.

However, they also present potential risks to patients and health care professionals regarding the distribution of poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, violation of personal–professional boundaries, and licensing or legal issues.

Many health care institutions and professional organizations have issued guidelines to prevent these risks.

There is a clear breach of patient privacy and the nurse and their colleagues missed to follow common guidelines for the use of social media by Health care professionals.

Patient privacy:

Avoid writing about specific patients.

Make sure you are in compliance with state and federal privacy laws.

Obtain patient consent when required.

Protect patient information through “de-identification.”

Several health care institutions have policies that require a signed HIPAA authorization before any patient-specific information may be posted on social media.

Any infractions can violate state and federal laws, resulting in civil and criminal penalties.

In 2010, the American Medical Association (AMA) released official guidelines for the ethical use of social media by physicians.

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FASB) published a guidance document on the appropriate use of social media in medical practice in 2011.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) also issued its White Paper: A Nurse’s Guide to the Use of Social Media in 2011. This document includes practical guidelines for governing the appropriate use of social media in the health care environment by nurses.

To prevent these risk, HIPPA and compliance audits should be done periodically in healthcare provider’s facilities and need to reiterate/educate state, federal and compliance protocols to staffs on regular basis to avoid future risks of non-conformance.

When used wisely and prudently, social media sites and platforms offer the potential to promote individual and public health, as well as professional development and advancement. However, when used carelessly, the dangers these technologies pose to Health care professionals are formidable. Guidelines issued by health care organizations and professional societies provide sound and useful principles that Health care professionals should follow to avoid pitfalls.