Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE MODERN IMPACT OF INFORMATICS 1

Introduction to Theory in Healthcare Informatics

Michelle Kubinski

Aspen University CIS 450

April 22nd, 2019

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Social Media and the Modern Impact of Informatics

Smart Phone and Social Media Policy

Social media is very common in society today. While the definition of social media is

always changing, it usually refers to internet-based tools that allow individuals to come together

as a way of communicating as well as to share information, ideas, personal messages, pictures,

and other content (Ventola, 2014). The use of social media by adults increased from eight

percent to 72% since 2005 (Ventola, 2014). When it comes to healthcare workers, more then

90% of them use some form of social media, some for personal activities and some for

professional activities (Ventola, 2014).

If I were to make a policy regarding smart phones and social media, many things would

be included in the policy. First off, no confidential information will be shared about the

company or patients. Also, no political activity, photography, or videos will be shared on social

media. No posts should be made that can be traced back to a patient in anyway. There was a

nurse in New York who was fired after sharing a photo of a trauma room after the patient was

moved out of it. The caption of the picture on Instagram said “Man vs 6 Train” (ABC News,

2014). This picture could be tracked back to the patient and patient’s family and the nurse was

fired for being insensitive (ABC News, 2014). If you are making it known that you are affiliated

with the facility, you must also make it known that whatever it is that is being posted are your

own thoughts and not the thoughts of the facility. Also, when talking about the facility, you must

identify your position within the company as well as being professional and respectful at all

times. There will be no “friending” of patients on any social media platforms, and management

should also refrain from “friending” employees that they manage.

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In the case of the Navy Corpsmen who shared video of newborns on snapchat, there are

many legal and ethical issues involved. The biggest issue is the HIPPA violation by sending out

videos and photos of patients. HIPPA allows health care providers to share information with

only those other people who have a need to know and if the patient objects, it cannot be shared

(Harris, 2018). Under HIPAA is what is called protected health information. This information is

health information that is created or received by a physician, relates to the health or condition of

an individual, identifies the individual, and is transmitted by or maintained in electronic media

(Harris, 2018). When this information is used without a patient’s permission, there is a HIPAA

violation (Harris, 2018). This is the case with the Navy Corpsman because they put pictures of

the babies on social media without the permission of the parents. Not only that, but how they did

it and what was in the pictures and videos was completely unethical. The health care providers

involved, who were not nurses, were identified and were removed from patient care and handled

by the legal system and military justice (Walker, 2017).

Access to Social Media

When it comes to employers and universities accessing social media of potential

candidates, I can honestly say I do not have an opinion. Part of that is because I do not post

much on social media, instead I use it as a way to share pictures and photos of my children with

friends and family. Therefore, I feel that I have nothing to hide. Not only that, I also have mine

locked down so that people cannot find me very easily and that is mainly because I am more of a

private person. My name appears different on social media for this purpose. However, many

places are checking social media of potential candidates. Back in 2015, 84% of recruiters used

social media as a way to find potential employees (Wood, 2017). Now, employers are also

looking through potential employee’s social media to see if a potential candidate would be a
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good fit or not (Wood, 2017). A survey done by career builder showed that 51% of employers

ended up not hiring applicants because of the content on their social media pages (Wood, 2017).

Most recruiters check social media to see how candidates interact with other people in different

contexts (Wood, 2017). Other recruiters are looking more so to see if the job resume lines up

with what an applicant has posted on their social media page (Wood, 2017). Since media outlets

such as Facebook allow people to post their where they work and live, recruiters will look at this

to make sure it matches with their resume (Wood, 2017). However, the problem with this is that

not everyone updates their social media on a regular basis, and the recruiter may not know this

and end up not hiring a very qualified candidate all because of social media.

Conclusion

Social media can have very positive and negative impacts in different contexts, from

current jobs to looking for new jobs. The bottom line is to be informed about the current social

media policies in place at your current work location. Also, be smart about what is being posted

online and if ever in doubt, do not post it. Especially if it pertains to your current position. Not

only can it affect your life, it also has the impact to affect anyone else’s life that is somehow

involved.
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References

Harris, S. M. (2018, September 14). How to Avoid Data Breaches, HIPAA Violations When

Posting Patients' Protected Health Information Online. Retrieved from https://www.the-

hospitalist.org/hospitalist/article/126200/how-avoid-data-breaches-hipaa-violations-

when-posting-patients-protected

Nurse Firing Highlights Hazards of Social Media in Hospitals. (2014, July 08). Retrieved from

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/nurse-firing-highlights-hazards-social-media-

hospitals/story?id=24454611

Ventola, C. L. (2014, July). Social media and health care professionals: Benefits, risks, and best

practices. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/

Walker, A. (2017, September 19). Hospital Corpsmen Mishandle Newborn Baby - Post Videos

To Snapchat. Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/naval-nurses-unethical-treatment-

of-babies/

Wood, A. (2017, November 27). Employer's using social media in hiring process: Why do they

do it? Retrieved from https://www.hastac.org/blogs/annawood/2017/11/21/employers-

using-social-media-hiring-process-why-do-they-do-it