How serious a violation of the medical privacy was jm action

Reference no: EM133491103

Case Study: JM has been a nurse for 12 years, working in hospice for the last six. One of JM's current patients, Maria, maintained a hospital-sponsored communication page to keep friends and family updated on her battle with cancer. JM periodically read Maria's postings but had never left any online comments. One day, Maria posted about her depression and difficulty finding an effective combination of medications to relieve her pain without unbearable side-effects. JM knew Maria had been struggling and wanted to provide support, so she wrote a comment in response to the post, stating, "I know the last week has been difficult. Hopefully the new happy pill will help, along with the increased dose of morphine. I will see you on Wednesday." the site automatically listed the user's name with each comment.

The next day, JM was shopping at the local grocery store when a friend stopped her and said, "I didn't know you were taking care of Maria. I saw your message to her on the communication page. I can tell you really care about her and I am glad she has you. She's an old family friend, you know. We've been praying for her but it does not look like a miracle is going to happen. How long do you think she has left?" JM was instantly horrified to realize her expressing concern on the webpage had an inappropriate disclosure. She thanked her friend for being concerned, but said she could not discuss Maria's condition. She went immediately home and attempted to remove her comments, but that wasn't possible. Further, others could have copied and pasted the comments elsewhere. At her next visit with Maria, JM explained what had happened and apologized for her actions. Maria accepted the apology but asked JM not to post any further comments. JM self-reported the the Board of Nursing and is awaiting for the Board's decision.

Question: Despite the fact that the website was hospital sponsored, family and friends of patients had access to the information posted on the website. Was JM's failure to recognize the significance of this fact egregious? In your view, how serious a violation of the medical privacy was JM action? Recall that the comments that have been posted on other sites can never be retracted. What penalty, if any, should the Nursing Board impose on JM? Identify and least one specific ethical and one legal principle that JM violated.

Reference no: EM133491103

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