APHON Position Paper on the Nurse’s Use of Social Media
Authors
2018 Contributors and Reviewers Terri L. Boyce, DNP MSN RN CPNP-AC CPHON ® Dyane Bunnell, MSN APRN AOCNS CPON ® Joan O’Hanlon Curry, MS RN CPNP CPON ® Previous Contributors Terri L. Boyce, MSN RN CPNP-AC CPHON ® Megan M. Davis, MSN RN CPNP CPHON ® Cheryl Gerdy, MSN RN CPON ®
Anita Pool, RN CPN
Previous Reviewers Kathleen Adlard, MS RN CPNP CPON ® Deborah Echtenkamp, MSN RN CPON ® Lisa Fisher, MSN RN CPON ® Deborah Freiburg, MSN RN Cheryl Rodgers, PhD CPNP CPON ® Nancy Tena, MSN RN CPON ® Melody Ann Watral, MSN RN CPNP CPON ®
Social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, CaringBridge,
and Twitter allow unprecedented opportunities for medical professionals to communicate with
patients, families, and colleagues. The informality and ease of these forms of communication
increase the likelihood that a nurse may unintentionally disclose privileged personal health
information. For example, a nurse may casually comment on how exciting it is that their son is
so close to engrafting on a family’s Facebook post . Conversely, nurses reading patient and
family blogs or social networking profile pages may inadvertently obtain information requiring
clinical intervention that otherwise may not be disclosed to the healthcare team (Guseh, Brendel,
& Brendel, 2009; Tunick & Mednick, 2009).
The widespread availability of healthcare providers ’ personal information on the Internet
and social networking sites threatens professional boundaries. Personal information about nurses
that can compromise the professional relationship between nurses and patients may be revealed
on the Internet (MacDonald, Sohn, & Ellis, 2010). The nature of social media is such that even if
a nurse intends to send information to only one person, unintended recipients often can view this
information. When patients and families have access to nurses’ personal web pages or social
media profiles, information can be taken as opposed to deliberately given. The effect of taken
information on a patient or family can be positive or negative and cannot be predicted
(MacDonald et al.). Social networking sites and personal blogs should be maintained with
privacy settings enabled to minimize the risk of personal information, opinion, and behavior
being disseminated to a large network of unintended recipients or misrepresented as professional
advice.
Despite the ability to engage privacy settings, information posted on social media sites is
not held to the same security standards to which healthcare agencies must abide, according to
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations (Terry, 2010). The
Nursing Code of Ethics (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015) addresses issues of privacy
and confidentiality. Nurses have a duty to safeguard patient privacy. The Code of Ethics states,
“Because of rapidly evolving communication technology and the porous nature of social medi a,
nurses must maintain vigilance regarding postings, images, recordings, or commentary that
intentionally or unintentionally breaches their obligation to maintain and protect patients’ rights
to privacy and confidentiality” (ANA, 2015). Information is only to be shared with those directly
involved in a patient’s care who have a direct “need to know.” Likewise, HIPAA privacy rules
seek to define and limit information sharing to those who have a need to know to participate in
the care and treatment of patients (United States Department of Health & Human Services Office
of Civil Rights, 2007). This may include information sharing with family members or friends
who are involved in care or payment for care. Disclosure of information to other people or
entities is viewed as a violation of privacy. Under both codes, identifiable patient information
should be disclosed only on a need-to-know basis.
The ANA Code of Ethics describes professional therapeutic relationships and emphasizes
the importance of maintaining boundaries within the nurse-patient relationship (ANA, 2015).
Maintaining appropriate boundaries safeguards both patients/clients and nurses by controlling or
limiting this power differential. Setting boundaries allows for safe connections between nurses
and patients based solely on the needs of patients (Holder & Schenthal, 2007). Professional
boundaries help to safeguard the patient-nurse relationship and provide a framework for
interactions that benefit patients and families (Guseh et al., 2009). Nurses who care for patients
with chronic conditions are at higher risk for being overly involved and crossing professional
boundaries (Flaherty, 1998). Establishing friendships with patients and families is not a
customary aspect of therapeutic patient-nurse relationships. Internet-based friendships may open
the door to unprofessional interactions online or in person that are not in the best interest of
patients and may lead to potentially problematic self-disclosure of nurses (Guseh et al.). Due to
the length of treatment, long-term follow-up, and the potential for recurrence, there is no clear
indication of when a nurse-patient relationship is completely terminated or would transition to a
social relationship or friendship (National Council of State Boards of Nursing [NCSBN], 2014).
Modern nursing must combine clinical and technical competence with compassion,
empathy, and respect; it is interpersonal skills that allow nurses to establish therapeutic
relationships and build trust. This sensitivity to others is an integral part of the caring profession
of nursing (McHolm, 2006; Sabo, 2006). At the same time, this sensitivity makes nurses
vulnerable to the emotional toll of compassion fatigue. Nurses who have a high degree of
empathy can easily become overinvolved with patients and their families (Newsom, 2010;
Sherman, 2004). Pediatric hematology/oncology nurses are expected to be involved in caring for
patients as well as families, and this puts them at high risk for compassion fatigue. Stressors
specific to pediatric oncology nursing include complex treatments, the nature of cancer as a
diagnosis, high patient acuity, communication with family, ethical issues, lack of control, and
death and bereavement issues (Medland, Howard-Rubin, & Whitaker, 2004; Zander, Hutton, &
King, 2010).
The concept of compassion fatigue is relatively recent; it was coined by Joinson (Joinson,
1992) while studying burnout in nurses working in emergency departments. Compassion fatigue
differs from posttraumatic stress disorder in that it is precipitated by exposure to a traumatized or
suffering person rather than a traumatic event (Aycock & Boyle, 2008; Medland et al., 2004).
Compassion fatigue differs from the more general “burnout” in that it specifically is an
emotional response resulting from caring about and identifying with the suffering experienced by
patients and their families (Maytum, Heiman, & Garwick, 2004; Showalter, 2010).
The symptoms of compassion fatigue often follow classic stress patterns; consequently,
nurses and those around them may dismiss the signs. Difficulties may instead be attributed to
stressful scheduling, poor diet and exercise habits, or physical causes. Each nurse must assess his
or her emotional health and examine relationships to determine if compassion fatigue is present
(Joinson, 1992; Medland et al., 2004; Showalter, 2010). McHolm (2006) separates symptoms of
compassion fatigue into five dimensions: psychological, physical, professional, social, and
spiritual. Ironically, one of the recommended methods to avoid compassion fatigue is for nurses
to communicate with others who share their experiences, and one way to communicate is
through social media (Medland et al.; Perry, 2008). Many nurses who are members of social
networks are friends with patients, and their families. As a result, a connection with coworkers
through social media can also mean an inadvertent link to patients that extends beyond work
hours and can aggravate compassion fatigue.
An additional concern that arises from the nurse’s use of social media is its impact on
coworkers and care teams. Nurses who use social media to express negative feelings about
coworkers may be committing lateral violence, including bullying and intimidation. While there
may be legal protection for the nurse based on First Amendment rights, the nurse should consider
the potential detrimental effects of any form of lateral violence on team dynamics and
cohesiveness (NCSBN, 2018).
It is the Position of APHON That
Nurses should be aware of their specific institution’s social media policies and procedures, and
recognize their obligation and responsibility to protect patient privacy in all areas of social
media. Our first and foremost priority and responsibility is to our patients. To ensure that nurses
do not breech confidentiality, share protected health information (PHI), or violate HIPAA
mandates:
Nurses should
recognize their ethical and legal obligation to protect and maintain patient privacy and
confidentiality at all times
have awareness of what constitutes a HIPAA violation and have an understanding of
legal consequences and ramifications if violations occur
strive to project an online persona that is characteristic of a professional nurse
use good judgment when posting any personal information and activities
enable privacy settings to minimize public access to personal blogs and social media
understand their specific institution’s social media policies and procedure s.
Nurses should not
initiate an invitation to patients or their caregivers, friends, or relatives to become social
networking “friends” or follower s of a personal blog. This act can compromise the
therapeutic relationship. Nurses should be prepared to decline such networking requests
from patients and their families with a professional and thoughtful response (Guseh et al.,
2009).
make posts that discuss patients, including any patient PHI. This includes descriptions of
patients (such as name, medical record numbers, room numbers, sex, age, address,
location, etc.), their treatments or conditions, pictures, videos, or diagnostic images of
patients
participate in any online conversation with patients or regarding patients, even if it is the
patient who is initiating the contact or conversation
make public statements or social media posts describing details of their job or work day,
including patient specific events that happened within their unit, department, or
institution
refer to coworkers or supervisors in a negative, unprofessional, or derogatory manner
post unauthorized content, speak on behalf of, or negatively comment about their
employer (NCSBN, 2018)
allow the use of social media to interfere with work and professional responsibilities.
It is AP HON’s position that, for social media purposes, a patient and their family members are
no longer considered a patient once he or she is no longer seen in your clinic or institution more
than once per year. APHON does not endorse social networking with patients and family
members. Furthermore, APHON does not endorse social networking with minors (anyone less
than 18 years of age) at any time during or after treatment, regardless of frequency of visits.
APHON has provided a statement that may be used by nurses to explain to patients and their
families our position on social networking and our reasons for turning down any friend requests:
Thank you for the friend request. To maintain the integrity of our professional and
patient relationship, I must respectfully decline any friend requests on social
networking sites from any current patients. It is the position of the Association of
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses that one of our primary priorities is to
protect patient privacy and maintain professional boundaries. Please know that I
will always value the relationship that we do have and look forward to continuing
to be a part of your care. Thank you so much for your understanding.
References
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Maytum, J. C., Heiman, M. B. & Garwick, A. W. (2004). Compassion fatigue and burnout
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Disclaimer
The Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) publishes its position
statements as a service to promote the awareness of certain issues to its members. The
information contained in the position statement is neither exhaustive nor exclusive to all
circumstances or individuals. Variables such as institutional human resource guidelines, state or
federal statutes, rules, or regulations, as well as regional environmental conditions, may impact
the relevance and implementation of these recommendations. APHON advises its members and
others to carefully and independently consider each of the recommendations (including the
applicability of same to any particular circumstance or individual). The position statement should
not be relied upon as an independent basis for care, but rather as a resource available to APHON
members or others. Moreover, no opinion is expressed herein regarding the quality of care that
adheres to or differs from APHON position statements. APHON reserves the right to rescind or
modify its position statements at any time.
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