Here are 3 potential ethical issues that could be of concern with nursing use of social media:

1. Privacy and Confidentiality: Nurses are entrusted with a great deal of sensitive patient information. Sharing any details about a specific patient’s condition, treatment, or even identifying characteristics online could be a HIPAA violation. Even seemingly innocuous posts about a patient’s case, if enough details are present, could potentially lead to their identification.
2. Professional Boundaries: Social media can blur the lines between a nurse’s personal and professional life. Friending patients or sharing overly personal details about themselves or their workplace could undermine professional trust and objectivity. It’s important for nurses to maintain a professional demeanor online.
3. Misinformation and unprofessional conduct: Social media is full of unverified information, especially regarding health topics. Nurses have a responsibility to be responsible sources of health information. Sharing inaccurate or misleading health information online could be harmful to the public. Additionally, unprofessional conduct online, such as posting offensive content or getting into arguments, could damage the reputation of the nursing profession.