Understanding the use of social media as a nursing student. There are boundaries that nurses and patients have to maintain in the profession. However, with new technology those lines can be cross. An example of that can be found the article I read “Ethical considerations and social media: A case of suicidal postings on Facebook. Journal of Dual Diagnosis”(2012), where a medical professional had seen suicidal pictures of a patient on their Facebook. In class discussion it brought up the ethical dilemma of searching clients up on Facebook to check their health status. There was a fine line between private and public content on Facebook, so it was difficult to pinpoint if this is acceptable or not. It was stated that if the client puts information on the internet it is no longer private.. In a assigned article reading, I learned about ethical dilemmas regarding Twitter and what is appropriate to tweet when being in a professional setting or in your personal time. After this class and even my first nursing informatics class i started to double think when using my twitter account. The RNAO has certain guidelines nurses should follow when it comes to appropriate online conduct. According to Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (2013), one of the social media guidelines for nurses to follow regarding online postings is that when i doubt, don’t post things online.
The picture above is of an article from Nursestogether.com, which talks about how you should think twice before tweeting anything about your professional practice. It can have a impact on your professional and personal profile as it has occurred in the past where some nurses violate patient privacy on social media cites.
Coe, S. (28, 11 2012). Social networking for all nurses: Think twice about what you write – see more at. Retrieved from http://www.nursetogether.com/social-networking-for-all-nurses-think-twice-about-what-you-write
Lehavot, K., Ben-Zeev, D., & Neville, R. E. (2012). Ethical considerations and social media: A case of suicidal postings on Facebook. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 84 (4), 341 – 346. doi: 10.1080/15504263.2012.718928
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