The adoption of social media use in healthcare settings has both been a blessing and a curse. While the application of modern devices of communication in healthcare has improved communication, efficiency and care, it has had detrimental effects on the entire care setting. Distraction and privacy bleaching are among the curses that have come with communication technology such as social media on portable electronic devices such as cell phones and computers. The purpose is to investigate the use of communication technology in healthcare settings and the application of legal, ethical and professional principles in healthcare technology.
The paper seeks to evaluate the legal and regulatory requirements that guide social media use and smartphone in health facilities. The section will broadly discuss the regulatory requirements of HIPAA and the application in health. The second section will evaluate the given scenario and give recommendations on what should have been taken to mitigate the problems arising from the situation. The last article will discuss the pros and cons of adopting the use of smartphones and social media in care settings.
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HIPAA and other Legal Regulatory Requirements
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security and privacy rules is an enacted law that aims at protecting the way medical information of the patients from being misused. The Privacy Rule provides a standard approach covering allowable uses and disclosures of PHI and under the circumstances in which it is possible ( Cohen, & Mello, 2018) . The Act also sets limits on how the health information of patients can be used and shared with others. The law also provides a guideline on medical information that must be kept secure with physical, technical and administrative safeguards.
In addition to the HIPAA rules, other legal regulations are used to protect patients’ information. For example, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act . The Act was meant to support the practical application of technology among health professionals ( Cohen, & Mello, 2018) . HITECH act comprehensively address the privacy and security concerns of the health records that are in electronic form.
Among the code of ethics that health professionals are supposed are privacy, confidentiality and medical records. Different systems of medical ethics opinion on privacy, confidentiality and medical records have been developed. Health professionals also take an oath during their school graduation to claim on doing their best to provide care and protect the patients. These are some of the codes that guide professional caregivers, such as doctors and nurses.
Scenario Ending and Recommendation
The paper explores the third ending, where the Nurse shared the information on Facebook on her night at work and how the Nurse does not regret having missed out on the concert because, in the end, she met Jerod in person. The Nurse also mentions that she got Jarod’s number. The Nurse felt by posting Jarod’s picture on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook because most people on her contact would not recognize Jarod.
First, the pictures should not have been taken as it bleaches the HIPAA regulations on patient’s information privacy. I recommend that the Nurse should not have shared the pictures and also the false information that she had acquired Jarod's number. Taking the picture was wrong because the Nurse had no consent from the patient and that it was against HIPAA regulations and the nursing code of ethics. I recommend that the Nurse should first take the pictures and all the information shared through the social media down. In a case like this, the first step is to control the damage from getting worse. Taking the info shared down will void the information from reaching other individuals. I also recommend all the pictures taken should also be deleted to avoid from being used in different means. All health professional, such as nurses understands work ethics. Disciplinary action can be taken against the Nurse for violating patient privacy (Lambert, Barry & Stokes, 2012).
There are both merits and demits that result from the application of modern tools of communication, such as social media platforms and smartphones. Among the multiple benefits, social media and smartphones use has been identified as a platform for health personnel to exchange ideas, networks and thus promote professional development. Smartphone and social media use can improve the quality of care offered to the patient by improving the communication process between patients and health professionals. Healthcare professionals can easily share health information through social media platforms, making it easier to connect with the patient. Care providers can make a medical follow-up with the patient through the use of a smartphone ( Hao, & Gao, 2017) .
The use of social media in healthcare can also be harmful, especially when healthcare professionals do not maintain professionalism by abiding by ethics and regulatory measures guiding technology application in healthcare. Social media and smartphone use in health settings can result in privacy and confidentiality violation. Violation can occur in different ways some intentional such as posting patient's information online such as posting patients videos or photos and in other cases, it can happen inadvertently. Information shared through social media can easily be altered as there are no mechanisms to establish authenticity and can result in harming the patient or the care provider who shared the information or the facility which the information came from ( Hao & Gao, 2017) . Smartphone and social media use can cause distractions to healthcare professionals, thus impacting the productivity of these individuals. For example, when a nurse is communicating with a friend or family while on duty, it can easily cause distraction. Such distractions affect the quality of care that the professionals provide to the patients.
Summary and Reflection
The use of communication technology, such as smartphones and social media, can be both beneficial and harmful. The use of such technology can prove detrimental because it can bleach confidentiality as it is easy to share information illegally using these means. Laws such as HIPAA have been enacted to guide healthcare professionals on how to use and share patients' data. HIPAA provides a guideline on how the patient's information should be safeguarded when using technology. Under HIPAA, there is also a guideline on how health professionals should transmit patients' data.
From the class and this assignment, I have acquired different lessons. Healthcare has a responsibility to ensure patients' safety by not sharing patients’ information through means that are not allowed. Health professionals have a guideline of how they should use and share patients' data using electronic means as outlined under HIPAA. I also learned that the use of technology could help improve care quality when used effectively. However, when abused communication technology can affect negatively the care services offered.
References
Bernhardt, J. M., Alber, J., & Gold, R. S. (2014). A social media primer for professionals: digital dos and don’ts. Health promotion practice , 15 (2), 168-172.
Cohen, I. G., & Mello, M. M. (2018). HIPAA and protecting health information in the 21st Century. Jama , 320 (3), 231-232.
Hao, J., & Gao, B. (2017). Advantages and disadvantages for nurses using social media. Of , 3 , 2.
Lambert, K., Barry, P., & Stokes, G.(2012). Risk management and legal issues with the use of social media in the healthcare setting. Journal of Health Risk Management,1(4) :41–47
