We always do everything we can to protect the privacy of our residents, and take the steps we need to make sure they get the treatment they need, she said. NGN: An Enhanced Exam for the Real World of Nursing, The Next Generation NCLEX Uses Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), Making Travel Nursing Easier with a Multistate License, Practice/Academic Partnership During the COVID-19 Crisis, State of the World's Nursing Report: Recommendations & Their Relevance to the COVID-19 AANA J. Organisational and individual support for nurses' ethical competence: A cross-sectional survey. Description: Two housekeepers filmed themselves dancing and singing a rap song with a resident and uploaded it to Facebook without the residents permission. As social creatures, humans thrive on and intrinsically need social interactions (McFadden, 2020). The employees admitted taking photos and sharing them with one another and with friends. Epub 2021 Mar 17. For example, Women's Health Nurse Practitioners (WHNPs) are likely to find . Facility: Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation-Kokomo, Description: A nursing home employee was fired in May after posting a memorial photo on Facebook of a resident who had died. The photo included a caption that said something to the effect of This is what I do at my job. At least three staff members who received the photo did not report it to the facilitys administration. Several social media behaviors can be interpreted as unprofessional Professionalism and Social Media Essay. Inappropriate social media postseven if they don't name a patientcan also violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Keith Ensey, regional director of operations for Carillon Assisted Living told WBTV, We substantiated abuse for the three team membersthe person taking the picture and the two team members seen in the picture. 2017;85(1), 10-16. The termination of this employee is consistent with our zero tolerance policy relating to actions contrary our code of conduct. The resident did not seem to understand what it meant for the video to be uploaded onto social media, but told administrators that he was not upset or concerned about the incident, describing it as just a little fun. The facility did not return calls for comment. Facility: Bethany Woods Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. All three cases cited above are examples . How it became public:News story, government inspection report. A second said, it did not cross her mind that it was wrong to take a photo and send it out on Snapchat. Another staff member said she saw her coworker take out a camera but said she was not aware the employee had sent the photo to others. This might mean two separate accounts with a private personal page. Yet, social media use can also lead to unexpected consequences, with any shared professional information at risk of being reported and scrutinized. Below are details of 65 incidents since 2012 in which workers at nursing homes and assisted-living centers shared photos or videos of residents on social media networks. The nursing assistant said she was not aware the photos were uploaded on her account. If an employer found offensive content on the job candidates profile, theyll doubt that this person would be professional in a health setting. Its best not to creep on their profiles either. Administrator Julie Newton told ProPublica that the home takes matters like this seriously and implemented a plan to correct the problems identified by regulators. Sharing information. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals fined the facility \$1,000 for the incident but did not pursue criminal charges because the residents genitals were not exposed. Sure, it doesnt violate a clients privacy so it isnt illegal. People will try to get you to do this so they dont need to set up a visit. The assistants were fired immediately and the home provided education to staff about its cellphone policy and about patient privacy. Well, you never know who others will send it to. Description: A youth volunteer shared a selfie on Snapchat that showed a 108-year-old resident urinating. View all blog posts under Articles | Then They Got Criminally Investigated. The employee was advised of the sensitivity of the situation and immediately removed the image. Review your profile, pictures and posts. Policies and laws governing social media and privacy may have changed since this article's posting in 2017.) Okay, so maybe you already knew how bad it would be to take a photo or video of a patient and post it without proper consent. If something like that were to happen at a building I manage, I would take every exhaustive effort to ensure [residents] safety. It doesnt seem harmful if its on your personal account and has nothing to do with your job. She added that she did not mean any harm by her actions. The facility policy forbids staff from taking or posting pictures of residents. The video showed a hand briefly tugging at the residents hair. The facility did not return calls for comment. Its best to only maintain a professional relationship on social media. The Look-How-Provocative-You-Are Post: It's tempting to share images from that drunken bridal shower with your girlfriends . A nurse at a Texas children's hospital has been fired for violating Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules by posting protected health information on a social media website. She was terminated. Nurses must uphold strong moral and ethical standardsand that applies to social media. The current executive director declined to comment beyond saying the facility has changed ownership since the incident. For example, current YouTube channels feature nursing student life and tips, nursing technology, social media and nursing, diverse health care teams, workplace communication methods, and health care safety. One post included the caption Talk to us at work. Other resident names were mentioned during the videos. Officials would not detail the nature of the photos but said both rogue employees were fired. When in doubt, just dont post it. Additionally, social media is now considered a mainstream part of the process for recruiting and hiring candidates. Or even worse, maybe a patient is in the background as you snapped the image. The employee was suspended but law enforcement was not notified. We cooperated fully with the authorities and completed our own internal investigation, which resulted in the termination of the employee in accordance with our policies and procedures. One photo showed a resident in a nightgown with her torso on the bed and her feet on the floor. Post patient photographs Description: A housekeeper posted a picture of a vision- and hearing-impaired resident on her social networking webpage, with the caption This is my friend, along with the residents first name. 2 Legitimate and Inappropriate Uses of Social Media by the Nursing Profession Introduction Over the last two decades, the world has experienced an explosion of social media and other means of electronic communications (Brown, 2016). If you share republished stories on social media, wed appreciate being tagged in your posts. This should be a no-brainer, but somehow it still happens. Witnesses to the video told supervisors they heard [the aides] voice in the recording saying look at this crazy bitch she doesnt like taking showers. When confronted, the aide reportedly told her supervisor she meant to take a photo of just the womans face to show two other employees and accidentally posted it on her public Snapchat feed. Court records noted that the video included a caption She f***ing hates showers. There are a lot of beneficial information sources and learning opportunities to be had, as long as the comments are kept professional and nonspecific to patient or location. Social media allows for the sharing and transferring of . Kendall Watkins, a lawyer for the home, called the incident an isolated act and said the facility responded quickly and appropriately. While the resident was clothed, and only her hair and one ear were visible in the video, the director of nursing told inspectors it was clear the video was shot in the facilitys bathroom. The assistant who recorded the incident acknowledged that the video included footage of the resident raising her gown, which exposed her entire body. Any website our stories appear on must include a prominent and effective way to contact you. Maybe it doesnt seem like an identifier to you, but if someone knows that patient they may recognize who youre referring to. The details come from government inspection reports, court cases and media reports. However, registered nurses must conduct themselves professionally and with care when communicating on social media." The committee said it would reconvene to consider an appropriate penalty. Taking a prudent approach to social media can help nurses . Most of the people who work in nursing homes are really wonderful people and its a shame that this is what people talk about. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal In an interview with inspectors, a regional director of care services revealed he was not certain the incident was abuse because the resident was cognitively impaired, so it was difficult to determine how the resident felt. He added that it was a violation of the residents dignity. As long as agencies create a sufficient monitoring system it can have a more positive impact as opposed to negative., Description: A resident with one leg had a picture and video of him posted on Snapchat with the word Jerk! written across it. (2018) advised nurses to ensure that their conduct on social media is characterized by ethical conduct and professionalism. As far as Im concerned, the whole thing is pretty ridiculous. BMC Med Ethics. That way, theres no blurriness with the relationship they have with you. Your patients arent supposed to become your friends. The government inspection report said the resident was cognitively impaired. The best course of action is not to post them at all. We continue to educate and train all staff on the importance of respecting resident privacy and dignity., Description:A nursing assistant posted a photograph of an 81-year-old resident with Alzheimers disease. Bullying in Nursing: Why Nurses Eat Their Young? Description: A staff member took a photo of a resident on the toilet in the bathroom. A third shows a 75-year-old resident making noises to show her teeth with the caption, Chuckies Bride. The employees were fired. We take the safety and dignity of all residents very seriously, said Jerome Demmings, executive director of the facility, in an email. Civil lawsuits The effect of ethics training on students recognizing ethical violations and developing moral sensitivity. Popular platforms for nurses include blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and professional forums. The volunteer distributed the photo, which showed the residents buttocks, to her friends at school in August 2015. In the video, the residents face was visible while sitting on a bedside commode with her pants below the knees, cleaning herself while laughing and singing. When questioned by government inspectors, the assistants denied taking pictures of residents. Facility: Nevins Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre, Description: While talking to a friend on FaceTime, the live video chatting service from Apple, a nurse pointed the camera at a resident. The caption below the picture said A picture is worth a thousand words; and worth a million memories. The residents first name was printed on the text under the picture three times. Bookshelf A spokeswoman said it provides extensive, on-going training, support and oversight to insure that we provide patient centered care.. If they messaged you in the first place, they might think theres a chance they dont need a visit. I didnt want anyone to think that Im a pervert. The residents daughter told inspectors, It made me sick to know that this happened to my mother. Voice offensive comments. We do not generally permit translation of our stories into another language. The residents family asked to speak with the aide to express their disappointment and told her they hoped she never worked in another nursing home again, the inspection report said. But you need to navigate how to reveal these discoveries while remaining sensitive to their feelings and privacy. Following a thorough investigation, all employees were retrained on the existing social media and HIPAA privacy policies and practices. The two employees involved no longer work at the home. As Ive mentioned, posting protected health information without consent is always unacceptable. Inappropriate or unethical conduct on social media can create legal problems for nurses as well as the field of nursing. In hospitals specifically, 78.1% of registered nurses use a personal device at work. NCSBN has developed guidelines for nurses and nursing students for using social media responsibly. Another study found that 70% of respondents thought access to these channels while at work either currently is or would be a distraction. One of the staff members asked the assistant who was in the video and the assistant identified the resident by first name. The residents daughter said she had not been able to visit her mother and had asked the aide to take a photo. And it also includes an x-ray which is the individual's protected health information. Never talk about patients or identifiable coworkers. Description:A nursing assistant was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts for posting a video of a patient in the shower. Price et al. They must be permitting you to discuss their condition with them if theyre asking you a question. That staffer said the video had the caption A resident had a blowout. A second employee who received the video shared it with at least two additional employees. But ultimately, you represent a business and should continue to do so away from the office. Other staff members in the background were laughing at the resident, who was cussing at the staff. Description: A nursing assistant posted a picture of a residents hand on Facebook, with a caption akin to I am holding her hand til she falls asleep. A comment posted below the photo by a second nursing assistant had a question that included the residents first name. **Facility:**Arbors at Michigan City Don't post anything when angry, sleep deprived, or otherwise impaired. Some of the pictures involved residents who were inappropriately exposed or appeared to be deceased. For nurses, social media allows them to connect their personal and professional lives, facilitating conversations with colleagues about health care advances, current best practices, and more. Her tracheostomy tubing and feeding tube could be seen coming up out of her top. The homes interim administrator said she has no knowledge of the incident and declined comment. Such behavior cannot and will not be tolerated., How it became public: Government inspection report, news story, criminal charges. If you use canonical metadata, please use the ProPublica URL. Ivy Gleeson, the nursing home administrator, told the Chicago Tribune in 2014 that the two women were fired. Created in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gave patients greater rights over their health information and . Inappropriate posts on social media can get you kicked out of nursing school, fired, or not hired at all. And now it had to deal with a violation of one of its clients privacy. 235 Wellesley Street, Weston MA 02493 | 781.768.7000 | 2022, Health Policy and Management Concentration, Online Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Online Master of Science in Nursing Overview, Online Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP), Online Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Online Womens Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP), Online Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Online Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Online Professional Certificate in Nursing Leadership. There is no degrading picture. However, inappropriate use of social media can harm a nurse's professional career. A nurse's personal social media activity should have the most secure privacy settings, and they should consider the risk of using notable identifiers as to professional designation or place of employment as nursing is a trusted and respected profession (Reinhart, 2020)3. Yearb Med Inform. Its also worth separating your social media presence by personal and professional use. One lady is posing with a poorly friend or relative, who's recovering in a hospital bed . However, evidence of unprofessional behavior, such as actions reflecting unethical conduct, could negatively impact their professional career. Hold the profession accountable. Our code of conduct contains very specific guidelines to govern employee behavior and includes policies regarding social networking and the use of technology that the employee in question clearly violated.. 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