Health care and Nursing Information systems

Introduction
The advent of advanced communication technology platforms such as smartphones and social media sites has made global communication fast and effective. Seamless flow and exchange of information has been quite fundamental in the growth of business, consumer insight about various products available in the market etc. Generally the innovations in communication technology have had a serious impact on every sector of the economy including healthcare, manufacturing, sales, government etc. Close to 74% of the people who access and use the internet and 80% of the people who use social media sites actually use the platforms to research about medical information, news, hospitals, and doctors (HCP, 2018). The social media is a powerful communication tool on general healthcare. It is impactful in the creation of professional networks and in the sharing of experiences. This said though giving and sharing excessive information through social media platforms may cause devastating consequences on employees and healthcare organizations where information specific to a patient is shared (HCP, 2018).
This research paper analyzes a scenario based on a likely ending and evaluates the HIPAA, Legal, and Regulatory framework on the use of social media and cellphones. The objective of this analysis is to understand whether there were any violations and if so what consequences the nurses in question would suffer due to violations. Through the study of this scenario it will be discovered that both nurses violated patient privacy by taking his pictures and personal details and using the social media and the cellphone to share the information.
Narrative outline
Introduction 1
Narrative outline 1
HIPAA, Legal, and Regulatory Discussion 1
Social media and HIPAA 2
Scenario 3 3
Advantages and Disadvantages of social medial and smartphones in healthcare 3
Advantages 3
Disadvantages 3
Conclusion and Reflections 4
References 4
HIPAA, Legal, and Regulatory Discussion
Professional blogs and social networks have 800 million active users at any given time. It comes as no surprise that at some points nurses would be tempted to violate the HIPAA regulations hence causing major concerns in the medical practice (HCP, 2018). With better employee education concerning the detrimental consequences of mistakes that could occur with medical blogs and social media, it would be possible to alleviate rampant HIPAA violations. Research findings by Denecke et al. (2015) point to the fact that most issues concerning application of social media involve privacy and confidence which must be preserved carefully. The relationship between the physician and the patient can suffer consequences from information gained on either end because private consumer and healthcare provider information can be accessed through internet platforms. Physicians must safeguard and separate between their professional and private selves (Denecke et al., 2015). Patient anonymity while citing any internet content during any research study must be upheld.
The exploitation of social medical media in the application of healthcare must be carefully reflected upon (Denecke et al., 2015). The responsibilities and roles played by the social media platform must be unambiguous. The preservation of confidentiality and privacy, according to Denecke et al. (2015) is the central issue.
HIPAA was endorsed prior to the coming of social media networks like Facebook. Today there are no clear-cut social media rules stipulated in HIPAA (HIPAA Journal, 2018). This said though the available HIPAA standards and rules are applicable to social media usage in the healthcare institutions and their staff. Healthcare institutions are required to enforce the HIPAA policy on social media in order to alleviate the risks associated with privacy violations (HIPAA Journal, 2018). The social media has many benefits. The social channels make it possible for healthcare entities to connect and engage patients, therefore, getting them involved in their personal healthcare. Healthcare institutions can easily and quickly pass information concerning their services and attract more users through social media platforms. It is important for the healthcare institutions to understand the boundaries within which to exercise social platforms without HIPAA rules violation.
Social media and HIPAA
The first HIPAA rule for healthcare institutions is to never disclose privileged health details on any social media platform (HIPAA Journal, 2018). Secondly, the healthcare institution must never disclose protected information on any social media. HIPAA privacy regulation forbids use of private health information of social media platforms. This includes information concerning a patient, videos or images that could allow other people to identify the patient (HIPAA Journal, 2018). Protected health Information (PHI) may only be used on social platforms with the consent of the patient (Hosek et al., 2013). The consent must be in writing. Even with the consent, the information can only be used for the purpose for which the patient gave consent (HIPAA Journal, 2018). Social media platforms may be useful in the sharing of health events, tips, staff bios, medical research, marketing messages etc. provided that no PHI information is leaked.
Healthcare staff requires mandatory training on HIPAA rules regarding use of social media. In the year 2017 around 71% of the people who used the internet also used social media platforms. Social media is quite popular. This as well as the ease and speed of sharing information on social platforms would mean that HIPAA training is fundamental (HIPAA Journal, 2018). Where employees do not have HIPAA training on use of social media it is highly likely that violations will take place. HIPAA training should be given before healthcare employees commence their work obligations following an appointment. The employees should also go through refresher training once every year to make sure that the HIPAA rules will never be forgotten or undervalued.
The 2015 investigation results about HIPAA violations on the social media were published by ProPublica (HIPAA Journal, 2018). The investigations focused on videos and photos of patients caught in situations that were not ideal and patients who were being abused (HIPAA Journal, 2018). ProPublica found 47 violations since the year 2012. This was just a reflection of the numerous violations that had never been reported. Common violations on social media include posting videos and images without consent, posting gossip related to patients, posting information that might make it possible to identify a patient etc. (Hosek et al., 2013).
Scenario 3
As discussed above there are very many HIPAA violations on social media (HIPAA Journal, 2018). The nurse who did not get a chance to attend the Jerod should not have taken his pictures because he was not at the hospital as a celebrity but as a patient who needed immediate medical attention. Jerod was not in a position to issue a written consent about the use of his photos on any social media platform leave alone Instagram or Facebook. Based on HIPAA rules as articulated by the HIPAA Journal (2018) it was wrong and unethical for either of the nurses to even consider sharing Jerod photos with anyone because the information was PHI (Protected health Information). Such problems can only be mitigated through detailed training on HIPAA social medial regulations. In addition to this healthcare practitioners should only be allowed restricted use on the internet in the healthcare facility. Internet use should only be limited to facilitating the wellbeing of the patient. Instead of getting distracted by her friend, the nurse who was on duty should have been attending to her patients. She was distracted by the phone. According to Techadvisory.org (2018) healthcare employees violating the HIPAA rules can be fined anywhere between US$100 and US$1.5 million depending on the gravity of their violation. Healthcare employees can even face termination, lawsuits, and jail sentences for up to 10 years, and risk losing medical licenses depending on the severity of those violations (Techadvisory.org, 2018). This goes to show that the nurses in the scenario were either unschooled on HIPAA regulations or perhaps thought that their violations would go unquestioned.
Advantages and Disadvantages of social medial and smartphones in healthcare
Advantages
1. Building of strong professional networks and connections HCP. (2018)
2. Getting patients involved in their personal wellbeing and health (HIPAA Journal, 2018)
Disadvantages
1. HIPAA violations (HIPAA Journal, 2018)
2. Medical errors due to divided attention as evidenced in the scenario (George, Rovniak & Kraschnewski, 2013)
The appropriate and ethical use of technology as described by HIPAA Journal (2018) must entail disciplined restraint from the inclusion of PHI on any internet platform without written consent from the patient (Hosek et al., 2013). Patient safety and privacy is at the heart of healthcare guidelines (Scripps, 2018). The patient is always protected from unauthorized sharing of their private information.
Conclusion and Reflections
The social media and cellphones can be embraced correctly to help enhance healthcare. There are numerous benefits of new communication technologies including enhanced delivery of healthcare services and quick diagnosis of healthcare issues. This said though the same social platforms that are easy and quick in sharing information can occasion violation of patient privacy if PHI is leaked as evidenced in the scenario. It is important, non-negotiable and fundamental that healthcare professionals get profound training on HIPAA rules regarding use of social media and cellphones in healthcare. Employees must be clearly taught on the acceptable behavior and the consequences of violations including termination, criminal penalties, and loss on medical license. These way healthcare professionals will be more careful and measured on what they share.



References
Denecke, K., Bamidis, P., Bond, C., Gabarron, E., Househ, M., Lau, A. Y. S. … Hansen, M. (2015). Ethical Issues of Social Media Usage in Healthcare. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 10(1), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.15265/IY-2015-001
George, D. R., Rovniak, L. S., & Kraschnewski, J. L. (2013). Dangers and opportunities for social media in medicine. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 56(3), 453–462. https://doi.org/10.1097/GRF.0b013e318297dc38
HCP. (2018). Posting with Caution: The DO’s and DON’Ts of Social Media and HIPAA Compliance, Healthcare Compliance Pros. Retrieved, 1 October, 2018 from http://www.healthcarecompliancepros.com/blog/posting-with-caution-the-dos-and-donts- of-social-media-and-hipaa-compliance-2/
HIPAA Journal (2018). HIPAA Social Media Rules. Retrieved, 1 October, 2018 from https://www.hipaajournal.com/hipaa-social-media/
Hosek, S. D., Straus, S. G., Arroyo Center. & RAND Health. (2013). Patient privacy, consent, and identity management in health information exchange: Issues for the military health system. Santa Monica, CA: RAND
Scripps (2018). Patient Safety, Rights and Privacy. Retrieved, 1 October, 2018 from https://www.scripps.org/patients-and-visitors/patient-rights-privacy
Techadvisory.org (2018). Social Media and HIPAA Compliance. Retrieved, 1 October, 2018 from https://www.techadvisory.org/2018/05/social-media-and-hipaa-compliance/