Reference no: EM133578907
Homework: Protected Health Information
For this homework, you will prepare a two-page interprofessional staff update on HIPAA and appropriate social media use in health care. Before you complete the detailed instructions in the courseroom, first select one of the settings below that will become the focus of your interprofessional staff updates.
After you have selected one of the two settings below, return to the courseroom to review the homework instructions prior to completing your homework.
A. Palliative and Hospice Care Settings:
1. Context: Palliative and hospice care settings focus on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of serious illnesses. The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family. These settings can be in a patient's home, a hospice facility, or a hospital. Given the emotionally charged nature of end-of-life care, the relationships between healthcare providers, patients, and families are deeply personal and sensitive.
2. Social Media Concern: Sharing emotional moments, patient stories, or even reflections on end-of-life care can inadvertently disclose private patient and family details. Given the vulnerability of this patient population, any breach of information can be particularly distressing for families.
B. Intensive Care Units (ICUs):
1. Context: ICUs are specialized hospital departments that provide critical care to patients with severe or life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Patients in ICUs often require close monitoring and advanced medical equipment. The nature of care in ICUs is intense, with patients often at a high risk and in unstable conditions. Families are deeply involved, and emotions run high.
2. Social Media Concern: Given the critical state of many ICU patients, sharing updates, discussing challenging cases, or even reflecting on patient outcomes can inadvertently disclose sensitive patient information. Even a seemingly harmless post about a long shift or a challenging night can contain context clues that breach patient confidentiality.
As a nurse in this setting, you are asked to create the content for a staff update containing a maximum of two content pages that address one or more of these topics:
1. Social media best practices.
2. What not to do: social media.
3. Social media risks to patient information.
4. Steps to take if a breach occurs.
This homework is not a traditional essay. It is a staff educational update about PHI. Consider creating a flyer, pamphlet, or one PowerPoint slide (not an entire presentation). Remember it should not be more than two pages (excluding a title and a reference page).
The task force has asked team members assigned to the topics to include the following content in their updates in addition to content on their selected topics:
A. What is protected health information (PHI)?
1. Be sure to include essential HIPAA information.
B. What are privacy, security, and confidentiality?
1. Define and provide examples of privacy, security, and confidentiality concerns related to the use of technology in health care.
2. Explain the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to safeguard sensitive electronic health information.
C. What evidence relating to social media usage and PHI do interprofessional team members need to be aware of? For example:
1. What are some examples of nurses being terminated for inappropriate social media use in the United States?
2. What types of sanctions have health care organizations imposed on interdisciplinary team members who have violated social media policies?
3. What have been the financial penalties assessed against health care organizations for inappropriate social media use?
4. What evidence-based strategies have health care organizations employed to prevent or reduce confidentiality, privacy, and security breaches, particularly related to social media usage?