Social media can be used to promote associations, expand professional health networks, education, public health education, and patient care. However, it also creates certain liability issues for the nurse and student nurse. At the same time, non-compliance with requirements can lead to risks in relation to damage to the professional image, the dissemination of low-quality information, violation of patient confidentiality, and personal and professional boundaries.
The nurse should be responsible for the information’s content and share information from reliable sources. Otherwise, the consequences will be the dissemination of low-quality information. The next area of responsibility relates to requesting patients to join the nurse’s personal network (Last name, 2020). They should be referred to a safer means of communication or to a professional site. Otherwise, the consequences are the violation of personal and professional boundaries. The sufficient liability issue is to maintain patient confidentiality (Last name, 2020). This area is directly related to the observance of the ethical principle of Confidentiality. In particular, the nurse should avoid writing about specific patients, get the patient’s consent to cover any information related to them and use a respectful tone in the discussion.
To conclude, there are specific liability issues for the nurse and student nurse, which need careful attention. It is necessary to be responsible for the content of the published information, not to combine personal and professional profiles, and, most importantly, respect the patient’s privacy. When a student nurse posts pictures of patients on social media, the implications consist of damaging the professional image, violating their confidentiality, and not adhering to the ethical principle of Confidentiality. It can negatively impact the nursing career and limit future credibility.
Reference
Last name, First initial. (2020). Social media/Nurses guide to social media [PowerPoint slides].