In the 21st century, social media use is changing operations in every sector. It is currently an advertisement and communication platform connecting millions of users globally. The nursing profession also uses social media to exchange information between nurses, other healthcare workers and patients. Nurses use platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, WeChat, among others, to educate patients about various conditions. It is the preferred method of communication since it reaches many people within a short time regardless of their location.
While social media is an effective method of communication linking nurses to other parties, they should use it professionally. Most workplaces have a social media policy governing its usage in the healthcare facility. Nurses should ensure the information they share takes into account patient privacy protection. Violation of a patient’s private information without consent is gross misconduct that may lead to legal processes. Before nurses use social media as a teaching tool, they should ensure they safeguard patients’ data according to the state and facility safety guidelines. Adherence to published professional guidelines protects patients from cyberbullying (Ventola, 2014). While the main aim of nurses is to guide patients to overcome some conditions, third parties may use the information to their advantage to bully patients. The platforms should ensure privacy for both parties. Parties should only expose inquiries, feedbacks and message histories on consent by both parties.
Social media types important to healthcare providers and patients include social media networking platforms, blogs, media-sharing tools and blogs. Social networking sites include Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Google Plus and YouTube. The nurse uses his/her profile or the facility’s verified profile to educate patients. In some cases, he/she records images, audios and videos then upload them to the sites to help demonstrate the information aired out. It is a common practice on YouTube and WhatsApp. Other professional platforms dedicated to healthcare services include Sermo, Doximity, The Medical Directors Forum, QuantiaMD and the Student Doctor Network (Ventola, 2014). Teaching patients on such media is effective because it favors instant feedbacks and reaches many people.
Utilizing social media for patients and healthcare providers also needs caution since it is susceptible to pitfalls. In the era of cybercrimes, hackers target professional networking sites to further their agendas. They crack the websites and access patient and facility data to their advantage. Nurses and other workers using the sites also need to differentiate their profiles and professional capacities. It is essential to answer professionally and keep feelings or emotions from the process since it can taint a facility’s reputation. Sometimes they may give contradictory information which may reflect the position of the institution. Another common pitfall is the breach of patients’ privacy in the teaching process. Referring him/her to previous patients or other workers may infringe their privacy much as it is helpful in their recovery.
References
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices. Pharmacy and therapeutics, 39(7), 491. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/#:~:text=Many%20social%20media%20tools%20are,virtual%20reality%20and%20gaming%20environments.
