How to write a nursing paper on Professionalism and Social media

How to write a nursing paper on Professionalism and Social media

The use of social media is expanding exponentially due to technological advances expanding connectivity and communication. Social media is a useful tool for building professional relationships and keeping in touch with patients and family members. It is also used to educate and inform consumers as well as health-care professionals. Nurses utilize social media to communicate with one another, vent their emotions, ponder, or seek help from friends, coworkers, peers, or nearly anybody. Journaling and reflective practice have been proven to be beneficial tools in nursing practice, and the Internet offers a wealth of information that is beneficial to nursing students (Ventola, 2014). Participating in social media is not beneficial provided that nurses adhere to the professional code of ethics and conduct.
Social media has become an integral part of our lives. However, the uncontrollable sharing of information has detrimental effects on the provision of personal care lives of patients and healthcare providers (Spector & Kappel, 2012). As a student nurse, I engage in social situations such as attending parties’ functions or going out to reenergize and take a break from my studies. More than often, I post pictures about the activities I engage in while captioning my pictures with location, address, or personal information. Appropriate boundaries between my relations with my patients could be compromised since they have a lot of information regarding my personal life, which could influence their perception. Exposing a lot of private information is considered unsafe due to cases of stalking, which can occur (Spector & Kappel, 2012). Negative comments and profanity language are unprofessional content that damages the nursing professional image.
Ethics are considered important for any healthcare provider. Ethics are defined as standards and values acceptable in a society that govern individual behaviors. It entails analyzing what is morally right or wrong and reasonable then making good judgments and decisions (Haddad & Geiger 2018). The nurse’s primary commitment is to provide holistic care to the patients while considering the code of ethics, i.e., autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, accountability, and justice. All patients should be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity to enhance therapeutic relationships. Confidence and faith of the patients are enhanced when nurses have consistent personalities show consistent behavior in their professional and personal lives.
The HIPPA regulations established national standards to prevent the release of sensitive patient health information without the patient’s consent or knowledge (Spector & Kappel, 2012). Posting information, comments, images, or videos about a patient on a social media site, according to Haddad & Geiger (2018), is a breach of patient privacy and confidentiality. Legal action can be taken against the nurse and their employer. However, medical information can be shared on medial social platforms, especially for educative purposes, provided that patients’ personal identifying information (names, social security numbers) and any removing references are removed. Also, patient consent should be sought beforehand to avoid violations being committed.
Social media enhance valuable information to health care consumers from credible sources. Knowledge is passed to the community to enable them make informed choices about their health. My values and ethics enable me to treat everyone with integrity and respect while avoiding making false or misleading claims. My social media activity could be improved by separating professional and personal profiles. Also, using the updated privacy settings (Spector & Kappel, 2012). We as nurses have a responsibility to ourselves, our profession, and the patients to ensure that the highest ethical principles are maintained, which begins while we are in nursing school and eventually when we practice.
REFERENCES
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2018). Nursing ethical considerations.
Spector, N., & Kappel, D. M. (2012). Guidelines for using electronic and social media: the regulatory perspective. Online J Issues Nurs, 17(3), 1.
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(7), 491.

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