Nurse’s personal communication devices: ethical and legal implications
Nurses can use personal communication devices to provide quality care to their patients. The use of such devices can affect the quality of patient care either negatively or positively (Hebda & Czar, 2013). Some of these devices include smartphones, mobile phones, video recorders, and tablets. These devices can improve the level of communication between doctors and nurses. Nurses and physicians can the devices to send emails, blogs, and short messages. These devices make it easier for nurses to communicate and access information (Hebda & Czar, 2013).
On the other hand, such devices can transmit disease-causing organisms from one patient to another. These mobile devices can also result in cellular interference. This affects the effectiveness of different medical equipment. The devices can also distract nurses and physicians, especially when treating their patients. Some nurses can use the devices for their purposes to send messages, browse, or visit different social websites (Hebda & Czar, 2013). Physicians and nurses can use digital cameras and video recorders to provide timely care to their patients. These devices also breach the patient’s privacy. This explains why the devices can result in legal and moral implications. Every healthcare facility should examine the legal implications of these devices.
Article Summary
The article by Nancy Spector and Dawn Kappel offers similar arguments. The authors explain how different “caregivers violate the existing healthcare principles without knowing” (Spector & Kappel, 2012, p. 2). The authors encourage nurses “to use social media websites and other electronic devices effectively whenever providing healthcare services to their patients” (Spector & Kappel, 2012, p. 2). The article also advises the government and other healthcare organizations to formulate the best policies regarding the use of these devices. The authors support the use of educational programs to guide nurses and medical practitioners. The programs will ensure every nurse uses these electronic devices properly.
This case study supports the use of video recorders in nursing practice. Nurses can use smartphones to share medical ideas and information. This practice will help many nurses and caregivers to make quick decisions. They will also provide evidence-based care to their respective patients. This case study counts as safe care because the young woman received immediate medical support from the medical practice. According to Hebda and Czar (2013), many people support modern technologies for the provision of adequate care to different patients. The troubling thing is that the device did not have a suitable app for the practice. This explains why programmers and technologists should design new apps for nurses to share medical videos. The new software will ensure patients receive timely healthcare and support.
My new application (app) for enhancing safe nursing care should have the best safety features. It should also be inaccessible in order to maintain the privacy of every patient. The users will have to sign up using their details and passwords. The users will use the information to retrieve any information or video from their devices. This aspect will make the application useful for medical practice. The application will also present “coded medical terms and abbreviations” (Hebda & Czar, 2013, p. 87). This attribute will make the application secure. The application should be unavailable to unauthorized users. These measures will ensure only medical practitioners and caregivers use the application. The application should also include new features in order to help every medical practitioner. The software application should always support the needs of every patient.
Reference List
Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of Informatics for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Spector, N., & Kappel, D. (2012). Guidelines for Using Electronic and Social Media: The Regulatory Perspective. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(3), 1-12. Web.