Administrative Ethics
Administrative Ethics
Lyndsey Hallbauer
HCS/335
September 1, 2014
Lawrence Fergus
Administrative Ethics In the technological age that we are living many of us have social media accounts. We use these accounts to post pictures and share stories from all aspects of our lives. Though social media is a very useful tool, social media outlets have had their share of negative publicity. Health care professionals have the duty of caring for people who are ill and in need in part of protecting sensitive patient information. When the worlds of patient privacy and social media meet, it is like a collision that leaves many affected in its wake. How responsible is the employer for the employee’s over sharing on social media sites? What are the measures employers must take to protect their patients and employees from over sharing?
Social Media and Patient Privacy Social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become very popular over recent years as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family online. The online social networking platform Facebook reports having 1,310,000,000 monthly active users in July 2014 (Statistic Brain, 2013). Those who work in the health care field must be very cautious as to what they are posting with regards to their lives at work. The caregiver is not not violating patient privacy while discussing the happenings of their day with loved ones online until they disclose patient identifying information. There are boundaries that a health care worker must not cross when using social media applications. “Confidentiality breaches and other errors in judgment by practitioners using social media can result in civil liability to patients, job loss, disciplinary action by state licensing boards, and even criminal investigations and sanctions.” (Hader, A. L., J.D., & Brown, E. D., J.D. 2010).
Supporting Arguments
In the year 1996, HIPAA, short for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was
Lyndsey Hallbauer
HCS/335
September 1, 2014
Lawrence Fergus
Administrative Ethics In the technological age that we are living many of us have social media accounts. We use these accounts to post pictures and share stories from all aspects of our lives. Though social media is a very useful tool, social media outlets have had their share of negative publicity. Health care professionals have the duty of caring for people who are ill and in need in part of protecting sensitive patient information. When the worlds of patient privacy and social media meet, it is like a collision that leaves many affected in its wake. How responsible is the employer for the employee’s over sharing on social media sites? What are the measures employers must take to protect their patients and employees from over sharing?
Social Media and Patient Privacy Social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become very popular over recent years as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family online. The online social networking platform Facebook reports having 1,310,000,000 monthly active users in July 2014 (Statistic Brain, 2013). Those who work in the health care field must be very cautious as to what they are posting with regards to their lives at work. The caregiver is not not violating patient privacy while discussing the happenings of their day with loved ones online until they disclose patient identifying information. There are boundaries that a health care worker must not cross when using social media applications. “Confidentiality breaches and other errors in judgment by practitioners using social media can result in civil liability to patients, job loss, disciplinary action by state licensing boards, and even criminal investigations and sanctions.” (Hader, A. L., J.D., & Brown, E. D., J.D. 2010).
Supporting Arguments
In the year 1996, HIPAA, short for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was
References: Fiercehealthcare.com. (2012). Social Media and Patient Privacy. Retrieved from http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/social-media-and-patient-privacy-lessons-ripped-headlines/2012-10-12?page=0,1 Hader, A. L., J.D., & Brown, E. D., J.D. (2010). Patient privacy and social media. AANA Journal, 78(4), 270-4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/749390142?accountid=458 Statistic Brain. (2013). Facebook Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.statisticbrain.com/facebook-statistics/