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HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Sharisse T Watkins
Liberty University
Nurs 521 – Nursing Issues, Informatics and Technology
Dr. Heather Humphreys
07 April 2021
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HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
“Social Media environments and online communities are innovative collaborative
technologies that challenge the traditional definitions of information literacy…” (Nelson &
Staggers, 2018). The way we once dispersed information is no longer relevant. The way
information travels and the speed at which it spreads can both affect the world positively
and negatively. Social media has become a daily interaction of majority of the world’s
population today. Information, including health information is now available at our
fingertips, carried in our pockets and accessible within seconds. However, in order for
social media to be used constructively, specifically in the healthcare community, the
people that make up the community must each individually understand the strengths
and weaknesses of social media. Only then, can we collaboratively use it with
confidence and respect professional versus personal boundaries.
The first and currently the most popular type of social media platform are the
social media platforms. These giants include but are not limited to Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and TikTok. Ayar and his team conducted studies that showed nursing
students felt more confident with their studies when they were able to look up
medications and quickly engage in the nursing community when they needed help fast.
However, although it provided an increase in self-efficacy and competence levels, it also
increased the amount of time students wasted when participating on social media when
it was not related to their job or studies (2018). Companies often list these social media
giants separately in their policies because of how often they have encountered issues
with them. One may see something to the effects of, ‘no Facebook use at work or on
company owned computers’ for example. However, depending on the industry, social
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media use may be encouraged (when used appropriately). Some areas may include job
recruiting or education for the NCLEX from healthcare related businesses. Users will
see these more often times after they use search engines that contain keywords like
‘NCLEX’ or ‘nursing positions’. Data is supplied to these social media giants to generate
more advertisements and groups to the population who would be more likely to
participate in them. These platforms can be both a tool of creation and destruction, still
serving a purpose from the Biblical Worldview perspective.
Next, are the discussion forums such as Tumblr and Reddit. A person does not
always have to use a picture, image or gif to participate on social media. Many times, a
social media user does not even have to use a picture of themselves or their real name
for information to still affect them. The rate at which ‘social media detectives’ find
information is quite alarming. When posting even on a blog, a simple sentence or word
can be used against you. Always ask yourself if what you are posting is harmful or
unproductive, can it be misconstrued, is it against company policy or inside my
profession’s scope of practice. Like a discussion or a chat room can be used
maliciously, it can also be used to create a culture of learning.
Many of the younger generations of nurses (up to 87%) say they use social media
daily (Lefebvre et. al., 2020). Discussion arenas like reddit can be helpful for people to
all congregate together online at different times and answer questions people all over
would like to know the answer to. For example, “What kind of nursing did you pick and
why?” A new nurse would be extremely interested in this because there are so many
areas of nursing, including those that maybe they were not even aware of. Social media
can open the doors to communication that might not otherwise have been possible. This
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is another Biblical worldview point answered, knowledge.
Last but not least, are the individually controlled, media sharing sites such as
YouTube and Pinterest. These are directly controlled by the user and based on
audience engagement. The user can remove the video and not allow comments or
sharing, so they have slightly more control over how fast information spreads. However,
it is important to know that regardless of whether a discussion post is moderated or not,
a channel belongs to an individual or a group…the topic has to be placed into
cyberspace by a person. Once it exists in cyberspace, it is difficult to remove. Videos
posted to YouTube can be helpful in nursing for studying for the NCLEX or other
medical professions. It can share experiences that feel more personal than written
words and create groups that show support to specific individuals. However, it can also
be used for inappropriately. Many users, including those in the medical community have
taken to streaming sites to voice their issues with their employers or ‘bad-mouth’
customers they have come in contact with.
This is why many large corporations have adapted their employee handbooks to
include social media policies. We have all read scenarios where a person’s tweet, post
of a picture or even a “like” on YouTube has been sent to their employer which resulted
in punishment up to termination. It is vital for employees to know what their employer’s
policies are and what they mean, because it does not always have to be something
negative that violates a company’s policies. This is a way of maintaining good disciple
and order, another Biblical World View (moral order and behavior). When an employee
invalidates the company’s needs, the company maintains order by disciplining the
employee who has usually signed an acknowledgement form for the social media policy.
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The policies created by these companies can be very general or super specific,
ranging from no negative talk about the company to no social media posts about the
company at all. O’Connor et. al., gathered many examples where the employee was
even thanking a company, where she applauded her employers for giving her a
Christmas bonus she was then fired because the company’s policy was to make no
mention of the company at all on social media (2016). A nurse was also mentioned in
the article as well, who was ‘blowing off steam’ in a social media post. Although she
included no name or other specifics, the hospital felt she violated HIPAA and was forced
to let her go (O’Connor et. al., 2016). Nurses and medical professionals have to be
extremely cognizant of their digital behavior because it could be detrimental to future job
endeavors when employers are alerted that the reason for termination was social
media. They may immediately feel as if the person has little self-control and if they were
to hire the individual all of their business and patient information are no longer safe.
These are only three of many types of social media on the rise. As the internet
continues to grow and advance, so must our digital literacy and internet safety as well
(Nelson & Staggers, 2018). It is important to understand that through social media,
while our knowledge base can increase, it is imperative more now than ever we
continue to apply the Biblical Worldview. As both nurses and Christians, our dedication
to God and the people who trust our profession must be maintained.
In the book of Job, it reads, “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is
wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding,” (Job 28:28, KJV). As followers of
Christ, educators and the number one trusted profession in the world, it is our duty to
set the standard for people everywhere. This includes preserving a relationship with
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God where He is recognized to be the only omniscient being with endless powers. The
internet should never be given that power. As humans we have control over technology
we create and we choose how we want to use it every day, whereas God is in control of
everything we see. Should the internet or technology become an entity that only feeds
negativity to God’s people, we must turn away from it.
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REFERENCES
Ayar, D., Özalp Gerçeker, G., Özdemir, E. Z., & Bektaş, M. (2018). The effect of
problematic internet use, social appearance anxiety, and social media use on
nursing students’ nomophobia levels. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 36(12),
589-595. https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000458
Lefebvre, C., McKinney, K., Glass, C., Cline, D., Franasiak, R., Husain, I.,
Pariyadath, M., Roberson, A., McLean, A., & Stopyra, J. (2020). Social media
usage among nurses: Perceptions and practices. The Journal of Nursing
Administration, 50(3), 135-141. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000857
Nelson, R., & Staggers, N. (2018). Health informatics: An interprofessional
approach. Chicago, 15th edition
O’Connor, K. W., Schmidt, G. B., & Drouin, M. (2016). Helping workers understand
and follow social media policies. Business Horizons, 59(2), 205-
211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.11.005
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