How Does Social Media Affect Nursing

Since its inception, social media has quickly spread and is used by millions of people worldwide every day. It is used for many applications such as keeping in contact with friends and family, as well as, professional networking and commercial business. One area in particular that social media is becoming more frequently used is in healthcare, and more specifically nursing. Social media has many effects on the nurse-patient relationship both positive and negative; it allows for rapid patient education, but also can damage the trust a patient has in nurses. But what is social media? Social media as defined by Thielst are “electronic tools that enhance communication, support collaboration, and enable users across the globe to generate and share

It could cause a potential scenario in which the patient finds information that is incorrect and believes it to be true. Later when a nurse or other health care provider is caring for that patient and states something contrary to that information. It may cause the patient to doubt the nurse, undermining their trust. Trust is a critical component of the nurse-patient relationship, and without it, the nurse’s ability to care for the patient would be severely limited. Violations of trust, such as posting a photograph of a patient online without their consent, could cause a patient to no longer be open with the nurse: “If the patient does not trust the nurse, he or she will not reveal important information crucial to receiving care for his or her health condition” (Henderson & Danhke, 2015). This could result in delayed treatment for their condition or even death if it is a serious

One of the biggest benefits of social media is rapid patient education to a large audience. Twitter is an excellent tool for this. A nurse could use Twitter for everything “From posting health safety notices to explaining drug recall information to answering emergency questions, nurses can provide quick responses and critical assistance to the public” ( EveryNurse.org, 2014). If a natural disaster occurred such as a hurricane, and someone was in an emergency situation asking for help. A nurse could answer some of their questions on Twitter with the information they need to stay alive until help arrives. It is also an amazing tool to raise awareness about health topics (EveryNurse.org, 2014). A recent example of this was the ALS ice bucket challenge. Where someone would pour a bucket or tub of ice water unto themselves on video to raise awareness for ALS and ask for donations to help fund research for a cure, eventually raising 100 million dollars (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association [ALSA]). There are many effects that social media has on the nurse-patient relationship. The nurse needs to be careful about her or his usage of social media in order to maintain patient trust and professional integrity, and abide HIPPA. Sites like Twitter are amazing tools when used correctly. Social media will have an ever-increasing impact on the nurse-patient relationship as technology is