Advantages Of Using Social Media In The Nursing Profession

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.

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.

Social Media in Nursing and The Effect it has on Jobs, Facilities and Nursing Students

Social media (digital technology) platforms are defined as any form of digital communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Over the last several years, the use of social media platforms such as blogs, text messaging, games, and Twitter, have had significant growth. Social media tools have become an effective way to expand reach, foster engagement and increase access to credible, evidence-based health information.

While using social media can be valuable to doctors and nurses, inappropriate use of these tools can be devastating to a health professional career. Here are some examples

Today, it is very easy to obtain information of any kind. Thanks to the convergence and development of technology. “The Internet”, which today is one of the easiest ways to obtain quick information without allot of effort. There are millions of people from around the world that use the Internet as a tool to communicate, search, and find information on about any topic imaginable. (Aynur, Nejat, 2015). In this Essay on Social Media, we will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of easily obtainable information, the advantages and disadvantages of social media, and importantly how knowing of these things can alter how a person might use social media, as well as the credibility issues that arise from the information on

With the advancement of modern technology, social media is increasingly finding use in healthcare delivery and management. Health professionals including doctors, nurses and therapists have adopted social media to communicate with their patients and for health sensitization. Social media can benefit healthcare delivery in a variety of ways including fostering professional connections, patient and community education and promoting communication with patients and families. On the other hand, use of social media in healthcare exposes patients’ data to breaches and leakages creating confidentiality issues. Misuse of patient data results in serious career penalties for negligent medical professionals. Protocols have been established to oversee the use of social medial by health practitioners. The paper seeks to explore the recognized rules that regulate the use of social media, and its risks and benefits. Health professionals should utilize benefits of social media while adhering to confidentiality, privacy, and ethical guidelines for private or professional communications with respect to patient data.

Ressier, with the University of Massachusetts- Boston College of Nursing and Health Sciences states that, “as we educate a new generation of nurses, use of social media will be an integral component in their ability to practice competently, effectively, and collaboratively with team members, patients, and families.” Times are changing and social media is the fastest growing forum out there. Nurses will need to be able to navigate these apps when the time is right.

McNab, C. (2009). What social media offers to health professionals and citizens. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Article: Tuckett A & Turner C 2016, ‘Do you use social media? A study into new nursing and midwifery graduates ' uptake of social media’, International Journal of Nursing Practice, no. 22, pp. 197–204, doi:10.1111/ijn.12411

Nursing and social media interlope, at this present time millions of people around the world are using some form of social media, including nurses. Social media is used to connect with others. Therefore it can have negative and positive applications toward the use of social media within in health care. Nurse unit managers can use transformational leadership strategies to ensure that all nurses (including nursing students) are familiar with the National Board’s Social Media Policy and their responsibilities under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s (NMBA) Codes and Standards for nurses in Australia.

Therefore the use of social media in nursing (e.g. learning, exploration and training) will be limitless.

The dynamics of technology have seen the introduction of various forms of social media into the professional world. Social media has become a platform of communication, sharing of information and learning hence the need for health professionals to be knowledgeable on using appropriately. The social media policy governing health professionals defines social media as:

“The advantages include lightening- fast dissemination of knowledge and the ability to discuss and debate issues pertinent to education, practice, and research on a worldwide stage.” (Stokowski). Social media allows all professionals in the healthcare field to connect and communicate with no worries of their locations. Social media has far more advantages than disadvantages for the healthcare community but, the disadvantages are extremely serious. If social media is not used carefully and monitored closely it can become a very negative place with serious

Using this viewpoint, health care leaders can see the importance of using social media to stay in tuned with what patients are saying. For a health care organization to succeed they must provide quality care and quality service. If the patient population is not satisfied they are likely to vocalize their opinions to friends and families through social media. Health care leaders can create blogs or chats where consumers can express their concerns as a means to fix issues the organization may be experiencing. The information generated from social media can then be used by health care leaders to improve the organization, with the hopes of making their organization a leader in their community.