DNP 810 Professionalism and Social Media

Sample Answer

Social media has gained much prominence in the last decade, with several social media platforms arising, largely thanks to the growth of the internet and technological advancements. The social media platforms such as social networking sites and blogs have been used by various professionals such as nurses for various purposes, from networking and advertisement to advocacy.

Nonetheless, the use of social media has potential risks to both patients and nurses as there are possibilities of violating various professional guidelines and rules, invading and exposing patient privacy and confidentiality, as well as potential harm to healthcare organizations (Hao & Gao, 2017).

Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to describe conversations or posts engaged in that might be considered based on the professional standards of nursing. Explore why nurses have a responsibility to uphold a standard of conduct and areas of my social media activity reflecting Christian values.

The Posts That May Be Considered Inappropriate

Social media platforms have brought some freedom where individuals can express their views without thinking about the potential impact. Looking back and reviewing my post, I noticed that there are a few posts that could be considered inappropriate as far as professional standards are concerned.

In one of the posts, I complained about a patient who walked into the facility appearing intoxicated with some alcohol overdose and out of order. The patient appeared disruptive, hence upsetting me; having taken his photo, I shared the photo on social media platforms swearing how inappropriate the situation was and deserving punishment.

It is worth noting that it is unprofessional and inappropriate to share information about patients publicly and in a criticizing manner as it may lead to organizational image damage.

In some of the posts, I shared some of my photos and videos taken with my former colleague while making jokes about our work environment and exposing some of the patient care settings to social media. Such actions could be considered inappropriate as they could lead to damage to the organization’s image and potentially expose personal life, which is again unprofessional.

Why The Nurses Have a Responsibility to Uphold Standard Conduct
One of the responsibilities expected of nurses is to uphold standard conduct that coincides with the nursing profession governing body’s standards both in their personal lives and while working in healthcare facilities.

The implication is that nurses should not engage in sharing unprofessional content on social media platforms since such actions can negatively impact an organization’s image (Sadiku et al., 2021). When posts are shared on social media, they are treated as public activities, which can have a lot of influence on public opinion and reflects on the nurses’ professionalism.

According to the standards that govern the nursing profession, patients’ privacy and confidentiality should be upheld at all times by the nurses. The implication is that nurses have to safeguard patients’ confidential information and privacy, hence sharing specific patient information only if the patient permits so (Chism, 2021).

By upholding such standards, the nurses are capable of gaining patient trust and confidence as sharing a patient’s information, especially on social media, potentially lowers a patient’s dignity, and respect eventually erodes trust. It is worth noting that loss of trust may also constrain the patient-nurse relationship as well as the nursing profession’s trustworthiness.

The HIPPA rule on confidentiality guides practitioners to ensure that they don’t engage in unethical practices that invade patient confidentiality and privacy. Therefore, intentional or unintentional disclosure of confidential patient data breaches the HIPPA guidelines, which may lead to various punishments (Sadiku et al., 2021).

Social media platforms can be a tool that leads to the violation of such guidelines. Nurses should not post videos or photos of their clients on social media, even with no captions for identification. They are also not supposed to expose various information about their patients, such as medical conditions, treatments, or room numbers, as these can easily lead to patient identification.

Social Media Activity Reflecting Christian Values

Even though some of the posts and conversations engaged in the past may be considered inappropriate, some of the activities also reflect Christian values. For example, keeping the patient’s important information such as ethnicity, medical condition, and age private and confidential as a show of respect for human dignity and value (Sadiku et al., 2021).

From the professional standards, I understand that it is my responsibility to respectfully offer compassionate care to all patients as well as treat them with dignity. Upholding such is key to developing and maintaining therapeutic relationships.

One of the aspects that I could improve on is changing the habit of engaging with my patients on social media sites such as Facebook. In case a current or former patient requests for friendship, I would rather use more professional means to connect with and address their concerns if possible.

I can also encourage my patients to join and like pages that give important information concerning patient care and the professional nursing practice. I need to be more cautious with social media use and observe the boundaries of using social media.

Conclusion

In this era of social media use, it is more meaningful for nurses to be and stay as professional as possible. Nurses have to uphold professional standards when interacting with colleagues, patients, and other individuals through social media platforms. In addition, the risk of violating patients’ privacy and confidentiality is high when using social media platforms. Hence nurses have to be alert not to violate the HIPPA rules.

References

• Chism, L. A. (2021). The doctor of nursing practice A guidebook for role development and professional issues. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  Hao, J., & Gao, B. (2017). Advantages and disadvantages for nurses of using social media. Journal of Primary Health Care and General Practice, 3, 2. https //scientonline.org/open-access/advantages-and-disadvantages-for-nurses-of-using-social-media.pdf
  Sadiku, M. N., Jaiyesimi, R. A., Idehen, J. B., & Musa, S. M. (2021). Emerging Technologies in Healthcare. AuthorHouse.