Social Networking Vulnerabilities

The objective of this study is to examine the importance of not sharing patient information through social media. According to the work of Adler (2011) many physicians are violating HIPAA and do not know it. Dimick (2010) writes that nurses at the Fargo, ND-based healthcare system in 2008 were using Facebook to "provide unauthorized shift change updates to their co-workers. What once would have been a conversation became an update on their personal Facebook pages. It was a convenient tool, because the nurses had "friended" each other through Facebook and thus could quickly read what each other wrote on their pages. They did not use patient names, but they did post enough specifics about patients so that the incoming nurses could prepare for their shift. The problem was that everyone else "friended" to their Facebook pages could also read the information." (p.1) The use of social media to talk about work "sharing sensitive patient or proprietary business information that same easy use and powerful reach broadcasts guarded information to large numbers of people." (Dimick, 2010, p.1) Release of information that is sensitive over social media can result in great harm to the reputation of an organization, violations of HIPAWA and ultimately result in "breach notifications and hefty fines." (Dimick, 2010, p.2) Dimick writes that Kaiser Permanente published "an organization-wide social media policy that explains appropriate staff

“Facebook remains the most popular platform for those using just one social media site—fully 79% of those who use just one site report using Facebook. Most Facebook users are actively engaging with their networks on the site. As opposed to simply reading or viewing content, 65% of Facebook users frequently or sometimes share, post or comment on Facebook” (Duggan, Ellison, Lampe, et al, 2015). As discussed previously, privacy and confidentiality is a right that everyone has no matter what. Therefore, healthcare professional’s privacy and communication cannot be entered and examined however; rules and guidelines have been put into place to manage confidentiality in the healthcare setting. In 2003, these guidelines were manifested and are known as the Privacy Rules, which are controlled by HIPAA. These rules were established to safeguard personal identifiable health data, which include an individual’s date of birth, social security number, address, photographs that may identify the patient, and past and current medical history (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). HIPAA defines “individually identifiable health information” as information that is a subdivision of health data, including demographic information gathered from an individual and is generated or received by a health care provider, health plan, employer, or health care clearinghouse and connects to the previous, current or future physical or

Employees within healthcare and anyone who has been a mature patient in recent years have been duly informed of the Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act (HIPPA), but even more people are more intimately familiar with the social networking site Facebook. Prior to researching the legal and ethical boundaries at it pertains to patient confidentiality in nursing school, many of us thought little of the HIPPA concept and how it applies to each of us as individuals. We can announce to the world on Facebook that I have a lump, please go get a mammogram! We can whine on for ages about our children’s medical problems. We make announcements and call for prayers for our spouses and parents who are ill. We share with our friends and family,

HIPAA, otherwise known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was enacted in 1996 which required organizations to devise methods to safeguard transfer and disclosure of personal health information (Shi, 2015). Protected health information (PHI) is any information about a patient’s health status that can be associated to a certain patient. HIPAA being the act that protects the spread of patient confidential information, can be violated on accident more than often. Social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, etc. has millions of users daily and users have the option to post or ‘tweet’ whatever they may want. Easily enough, HIPAA violations can occur through social media and the United States Department

Security of transactions is critical in building the confidence of customers in a specified e-commerce site. This security depends heavily on an organization 's ability to ensure authenticity, availability, privacy, integrity and disruption of unwanted intrusions. Malicious program known as sniffer programs often disrupt the privacy transactions especially when one uses unauthorized networks. They are found at network connection end points. When transactions are carried out, confidentiality is necessary thus it requires removing of any data showing transaction paths. This has become a common problem in the e-commerce sites.

In the world today, smartphones are becoming the “norm”, with basic phones becoming nearly obsolete in recent years. Pairing the overwhelming presence of social media with the rise in usage of smartphones brings to light an entirely new set of problems and challenges regarding patient privacy. According to a 2010 study conducted regarding various boards of nursing, 67% of executive officers surveyed reported receiving complaints about nurses misusing social media (Spector & Kappel,

Health professionals may engage in any social media they prefer and enjoy to use, but they do need to be keep in mind that there is certain information that they are not allow to share with others. They need to be mindful of the type of information they decide to share with others throughout any of the media that they use as well as smartphones. Information such as patients name, social security, date or birth or condition should not be share through smartphones or social media either, since this information can be tracked. For instance if a nurse misplaces their smartphones at their job or the grocery store and someone else finds it, then that person would be able to see the information on their smartphone. Another example could be a nurse on a cafeteria engaging in a

Social media rules our world today and provides instant resources that keep us informed and connected. Advancement in technology has provided multiple resources and valuable information that is literally available at one’s fingertips. The availability of information is endless and provides for fast, more effective learning within the nursing and medical world. There is mass skepticism and question within the nursing environment regarding the use of technology, whether it is via cell phone use, computer, laptop, or internet usage. There is a serious concern regarding HIPAA laws, patient privacy acts, and the legalities tied to an individual’s rights while under medical care.

In the present culture of the United States, social media has had a major impact in American society. It has a profound influence and intertwined itself in almost every aspect of the average American’s life. It ranges from providing updates of location of a person(s), events, and sharing personal moments. Even different industries are utilizing social media as a platform for communication, information, and sales mediums. One industry, the health care field has seen a rise in the utilization of social media. For instance, an emerging population of physicians are using social media apps such as Snap Chat, Facebook, and YouTube to educate, display surgical, and medical procedures while being performed. In contrast, as there are positive aspects of utilizing social media, a negative trait of social media is invading and exposing individual’s privacy. As of recent, a New York licensed nurse had to surrender her nursing license and sentenced to 3 years of probation for “moral unfitness in the practice (Bowerman, 2016).” She took photos with her phone of two unconscious male patient’s genitalia and shared them with coworkers. This has become an increasing issue and as the utilization of social media in healthcare is increasing, many ethical issues are developing. For instance, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was passed for the adoption of a national standard for electronic health care transactions and code sets, unique health identifiers,

The previous weeks of class have provided insight into nursing health informatics and how to professionally use social media. Health informatics refers to the collaboration of technology and healthcare in hopes of improving the client and nurse’s experience while using social media positively involves monitoring what is posted online, acting professional, and respect one’s own and other’s privacy (COACH, 2013) (International Nurse Regulator Collaborative, 2014). Both concepts explored in class are significant and must be explored separately or together by student nurses.

“Social media have invaded health care from at least three fronts: innovative startups, patient communities and medical centers” (John Sharp 2010). The Social Media arena helps the health care system for their planning strategy and their marketing. However, their use is very controversial. There is a discussion about the use of social media in the healthcare settings due to its vulnerability. Even though social media is important for the healthcare development, the security issues will remain big concerns for the healthcare system.

Little by little, technology has turned into a basic mostly that individuals speak with each other and has progressively assumed the position of up close and personal correspondence. Because of the quick extension of innovation, numerous people expect that individuals might be excessively inundated in this computerized world and not introduce enough in this present reality. Social networking is Internet destinations for individuals to connect uninhibitedly, sharing their considerations and taking part in a discussion, utilizing words, sound, pictures and recordings. These administrations permit people, associations and governments to make, trade substance and spreading data with an extensive number of individuals without geological requirements. It shows up in numerous structures, including sites and microblogs, wikis, informal communities, virtual worlds, gatherings and message sheets, media-sharing locales and social bookmarking. There are quantities of surely understood locales. These advancements are so regular, they don 't give them a hesitation; they are just there. With practically every family owning a PC we even tend to underestimate them. Presently envision these written work innovations didn 't exist and that Henry Thoreau 's dad didn 't idealize the pencil, what might you snatch then? This is the thing that I set out to do; discover a composition innovation that isn 't basic today.

* Don 't add people you don 't know as friends! You don 't know if

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health “Many social media tools are available for health care professionals (HCPs), including social networking platforms, blogs, microblogs, wikis, media-sharing sites, and virtual reality and gaming environments.1–8 these tools can be used to improve or enhance professional networking and education, organizational promotion, patient care, patient education, and public health programs.3,5–10 However, they also present potential risks to patients and HCPs regarding the distribution of poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, violation of personal–professional boundaries, and licensing or legal issues.2–4, 8, 10–17 many health care institutions and professional organizations have issued guidelines to prevent these risks”

Communication has been permanently changed by social media. A wide conceptual definition of social media, as cited in Ressler & Glazer (2010), is “The online and mobile accessible services that enable individuals to connect, collaborate, and share with others in real time.” Social media has an obvious influence on informal communication style and represents both possibility and liability for healthcare institutions. As cited in Bernhardt, Alber, & Gold (2014), “Social media provide healthcare professionals with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues.” It also presents challenges, including risks to information accuracy, organizational reputation, and individual privacy. Social media can be a very helpful in communicating among nurses and other healthcare providers while creating professional connections, and sharing experiences, but guidelines for appropriate use by healthcare providers are essential. Whether or not certain healthcare organization decides to use social media as a communications tool - social media policy still need to be implemented. Policies help establish an organization 's rules and expectations around social media.