Social Media's Impact on Nursing: Ethical Considerations and Limits

This essay examines the ethical considerations of social media use within the nursing profession. It explores the potential benefits of social media in healthcare, such as improved communication and networking, but emphasizes the critical importance of adhering to ethical guidelines and legal regulations. The essay highlights the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the significance of patient confidentiality. It presents a case study involving a nursing student's misuse of social media, illustrating the potential consequences of violating patient privacy. The essay underscores the need for nurses to be cautious and informed about the risks associated with social media, advocating for responsible online behavior to protect patient information and maintain professional integrity. The essay references several scholarly articles and resources to support its arguments, including the guidelines provided by NCSBN and other publications that discuss the use of social media by healthcare professionals.

Running head: NURSING LIMITS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Nursing limits to social media
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s name

1NURSING LIMITS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Whenever I use social media whether it is Facebook, Instagram or Whatsapp; I am always
cautious about posting pictures and comments or conversation on social media, because I am a
mother of four children and I don’t want my children to disrespect me or think bad of me. I want
them to respect me and want to be a good role model to them.
Ethical values and standard code of conduct governing the profession of nursing is important to
every healthcare provider be it nurses or medical officers. Standard code of conduct is ethical
principles that govern how a people or a group will behave. This principle focuses on the
righteousness and sinfulness of the action committed by a person and encompasses the decision
making process for determining the proper consequence of the actions (Haddad & Geiger, 2019).
The nurses have a responsibility for themselves as well as others, including the accountability to
encourage health and safety, preserve completeness of the individual and honor, sustain
competence, and endure personal and professional growth. A nurse must also exhibit care for self
and others. The nurse, through separate and cooperative struggle, establishes, upholds, and
develops the ethical atmosphere of the work environment and circumstances of service that
are beneficial to safe, quality health care (Haddad & Geiger, 2019).
Social media has the ability to enhance the health care services in a number of ways including
development of proficient networks, improving the regular interaction between patients and their
family members, educating and informing people about different issues and their solution
regarding the health of an individual (Balestra, 2018). However, the employer’s policies or
regulations do not allow a nurse to discuss anything concerning the workplace issues outside of
their workplace on their home computers or via their phones or any other electronic devices. The
inappropriate use of the social media can create problems in the life of nurses which may include
termination from the nursing career, disciplinary action from the board of nursing (BON), which

2NURSING LIMITS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
can put a negative influence on the lives of the nurses (Balestra, 2018). Federal law defines the
privacy and confidentiality of a patient’s information through the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA regulations are made to secure the patient’s
confidentiality. Violation of any of the code of conduct regarding the nursing profession means
violating the HIPAA regulations (Ncsbn.org, 2018).
(Emily, a 20-year-old nursing student, wasn’t aware of the potential repercussions that could
occur when she took a photo of Tommy, a 3-year-old leukaemia patient in a pediatric unit, on her
cell phone. She posted Tommy’s photo on her Facebook page with this caption: “This is my 3-
year-old leukaemia patient who is bravely receiving chemotherapy! He is the reason I am so
proud to be a nurse!” Later the nursing manager found out about the post and called her to the
main office for discussing about her act.) In this example it can be seen that from the post shared
by Emily people got to know about Tommy’s condition and where he has been admitted. Emily
never intended to share the patient’s privacy; however, the hospital faced violation of the HIPAA
regulation (Ncsbn.org, 2018).
Through this it can be concluded that social media has a huge potential for improving the relation
among patients and nursing staffs; however, nurses must be aware of the consequences of
disclosing the patient related information. By being cautious, nurses can relish the profits of
social media without violating patient’s confidentiality (Ncsbn.org, 2018).

3NURSING LIMITS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
REFERENCES
A Nurse’s Guide to the Use of Social Media. (2018). Ncsbn.org.
Balestra, M. (2018). Social media missteps could put your nursing license at risk. American
Nurse Today, 13(3).
Haddad, L., & Geiger, R. (2019). Nursing Ethical Considerations. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Rolls, K., Hansen, M., Jackson, D., & Elliott, D. (2016). How health care professionals use
social media to create virtual communities: an integrative review. Journal of Medical
Internet Research, 18(6), e166.