The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

103 These benefits diminish even further in light of the devastating consequences that often result from the inappropriate use of these websites. In the past, nurses have breached patient privacy, violated the law, humiliated patients, and degraded the security and safety of the medical field while using social media. The root of the problem lies in the fact that the very nature of social media contradicts the essence of healthcare in the United States. Social websites focus “on communication, collaboration…connecting with people, and…sharing of ideas” (qtd. in Klitch-Heart 56). Blogs and sites such as Facebook “[encourage] openness, dialogue, and connection of ideas and people…” (57). However, this contradicts the foundational value of confidentiality which guides the nursing career. When members of the federal system created the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996, they desired to “protect individually identifiable health information in all forms, both electronic and paper” (57). According to this policy, hospitals require medical staff to guard confidentiality diligently and prevent the disclosure of information that would easily identify their patients. However, nurses struggle to meet these requirements while exploring the candid and transparent world of social media. Alarmingly, several myths cloud this topic and lead nurses astray, increasing further the dangers presented by social media. For example, troubles arise when nurses falsely believe that as long as they do not post their patients’ names, the privacy of the individual is protected (NCSBN 3). On the contrary, however, “the definition of individually identifiable information includes any information that relates to the past, present or future physical or mental health of an individual” (NCSBN 1). Any piece of material that reveals the identity of an admitted individual is considered confidential; this includes room numbers and specific details regarding a patient’s condition. When nurses misunderstand the definition of private information, problems result. Additionally, threats emerge when nurses underestimate the size of the social media world, believing it to be confined to their circle of friends and thus easily controllable. On the contrary, however, social media stretches across the globe and provides easy access to countless pieces of information. Alarmingly, it is often impossible for a user to remove a piece of information from the internet once they entered it, for it takes only seconds for others