Social Media Risks to Patients and Healthcare Providers
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Professor’s Name
Due Date
Social Media Risks to Patients and Healthcare Providers
Twitter, WhatsApp, and Facebook, to name a few, have made their way into almost every facet of our lives, including the medical field. In the healthcare arena, many individuals support the use of social networking platforms. But there are various difficulties with using social media concerning the confidentiality and security of patient information under the HIPAA Act (Hader & Brown, 2010). To be sure, it’s critical to know the difference between what’s private and what’s public while using social media. Thus, this paper will critically analyze patients and healthcare practitioners face hazards while using social media sites.
The term “social communication” refers to all web-based platforms that allow individuals to communicate with many people quickly. YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are some of the most popular social media platforms today. Also, blogs are a popular way for individuals throughout the globe to share their interests and ideas. Many non-mainstream media outlets are now involved in mass communication (Davenport, 2014). Social media provides both an opportunity and a danger in the healthcare business. Organizations may interact with customers quickly and cheaply using these channels. Publicizing existing successes and advertising new patient care services have all been accomplished via social media.
The danger of violating patient privacy standards, the potential for damaging an organization’s brand, and interfering with an individual’s privacy are all issues that must be taken into consideration (Househ, 2013). In contrast, the first and most critical step in limiting the dangers associated with the use of social media is the adoption of suitable rules, guidelines, and position statements (Ventola, 2014). The HIPAA Privacy Rules and how social media may potentially compromise patient confidentiality must be taught to healthcare workers. Institutions should monitor Organization-sponsored social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. The HIPAA Privacy Rules hold healthcare practitioners and organizations accountable for their roles in compromising the privacy of their patients (Simpson, 2014).
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Five parts make up the HIPAA Act (Title I- Title V). Portion II is the most crucial section regarding social media sharing of patient information. To guarantee that all healthcare organizations in the United States began using electronic medical records, the provision mandated the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (Klich-Heartt & Prion, 2010). The electronic health record (EHR) was designed to make patient data more readily available to authorized health care professionals, allowing them to make better, faster decisions that ultimately benefit patients in the United States. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was also granted authority to define and manage electronic medical records standards and transactions.
The failure to comply with the HIPAA rules carries a hefty financial penalty for the health care providers and the institutions. As per the 2013 update, the government established a substantial penalty for non-compliance amounting to $ 1.5 million per reported incident case. Over and above paying the huge penalty, the institutions must send privacy-breaches notifications to patients. The law also allows the victims to sue the health care providers or the facility if the offense is justifiably egregious (Ventola, 2014). Therefore, the healthcare providers and the hospitals understand the loss of consumers’ confidence and the potentially significant financial loss the violation of the HIPAA Privacy rule can cause. Resultantly, most organizations have invested heavily in training their staff by using online activities, nurse education videos, and seminars to ensure that health care providers strictly adhere to the requirements of the HIPAA (Klich-Heartt & Prion, 2010).
How Social Media Infringes on Patient Privacy
Nursing professionals are often concerned about the potential ramifications of compromising a patient’s privacy when they use social media. Section II of the HIPAA and other privacy regulations in the United States might put healthcare professionals and institutions at risk if they don’t follow the rules (Ventola, 2014).
The HITECH Act, a reworked version of HIPAA, governs how health care practitioners and hospitals may access and use patient information. The HITECH Act lays out the process for notifying the public of a privacy violation. In addition, it