Social media use by patients was found to affect the healthcare professional and patient relationship, by
leading to more equal communication between the patient and healthcare professional, increased switching of doctors, harmonious relationships, and suboptimal interaction between the patient and healthcare
…
However, social media use can also negatively affect teens,
distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure
. The risks might be related to how much social media teens use.
How might such media use affect the nurse and patient relationship?
Negative Ways Nurses Use Social Media
As noted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN),
breach of trust can irrevocably damage relationships between patients and their caregivers
, not to mention negatively impacting the public view of the nursing profession’s trustworthiness. Sharing information.
When used cautiously, social media can provide the obvious advantages such as
professional networking, clinical education, and patients’ health promotion
. However, when used unwisely, social media has its disadvantages such as violation of patients’ confidentiality and privacy and can lead to formidable consequences.
- Control – You can’t control what’s said about you on social media. …
- Patient Privacy – Compliance is something that’s typically top of mind for healthcare professionals. …
- Time – Social media is not a one-shot deal.
Doctors say social media
improves the quality of care delivered to patients
. Social media educates and informs both physicians and patients. The healthcare system is more transparent regarding outcomes, cost and value. Greater trust follows positive relationships between patient and provider.
How can media affect your health?
However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an
increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts
. Social media may promote negative experiences such as: Inadequacy about your life or appearance.
More than two thirds (70%) people said social media companies do more harm than good, while only one in five said it is the other way around. That is according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.
Social media can then hurt your body image by
constantly exposing yourself to the ideal body type, leading to constant comparison of yourself to unrealistic standards
. Additionally, photoshop and filters are readily available to users playing into the unrealistic body image.
Social media use by patients was found to affect the healthcare professional and patient relationship, by leading to
more equal communication between the patient and healthcare professional, increased switching of doctors, harmonious relationships, and suboptimal interaction between the patient and healthcare
…
Social media provides physicians 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.
Nurses may breach confidentiality or privacy with information they post via social media sites
. Examples may include comments in which patients are described with enough sufficient detail to be identified, referring to patients in a degrading or demeaning manner, or posting videos or photos of patients.
In spite of the advantages, users of social media encounter many challenges such as
lack of reliability; lack of privacy and confidentiality
; users’ and patients’ ignorance of potential risks of health information disclosure; inaccurate medical advices; adverse health consequences; negative health behaviors and …
HCPs take extreme caution in sharing information online, afraid that it
patient’s privacy
. To avoid this, all healthcare providers should adhere to the HIPAA Compliance which is a set of regulatory rules concerning the privacy, security, and integrity of confidential health information.
- Damage to Professional Image. …
- Blurred Boundaries with Patients. …
- Breaches of Patient Privacy. …
- Employment Issues from Failing to Adhere to Employer Social Media Standards.
Physicians and Doctors
Physicians can use social media tools to build interactive patient strategies, such as direct patient engagement. Through
Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
, doctors can reach out to potential patients and share information about their medical organization or private practice.
When people look online and see they’re excluded from an activity, it can affect thoughts and feelings, and can affect them physically.
A 2018 British study tied social media use to decreased, disrupted, and delayed sleep, which is associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance
.
Whenever something happens-big or small, good or bad-we feel the urge to socialize that and put it out for others to see. It’s become an addiction to our generation.”
The addiction to social media goes beyond an addiction; it can directly cause depression, anxiety, and eating disorders
.
