Briefly describe how the risk management program at the organization where you work (or at that of a typical health care organization) addresses social media and patient information privacy. Provide three examples of risk management steps your health care organization (or another health care organization) could take to further protect patient information. Support your analysis with a minimum of one peer-reviewed reference.
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Social media continues to grow daily. There are many platforms that can be used to post information that could potentially be shared with millions of people. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the legislation that keeps patients’ medical records and information safe and kept from the public. The privacy rule of the HIPAA defines the framework of balancing access to health information and protective measures (Kayaalp, 2018). In healthcare, risk management helps in identifying risks that can be a liability for the hospital or facility along with ensuring patient safety.
I work for a hospital in a rapidly growing city just north of Houston. My hospital recently (within the past 2 years, I believe) put out a new policy about social media. It addressed employees’ personal social media accounts and how they should be mindful of what they say because they are always representing the hospital. It also mentions that no patient information is to be posted about, this
including any information that may potentially lead to the identification of a patient.
There are numerous steps a healthcare organization can take to further protect patient information. My healthcare organization can the protection of the patient’s privacy by requiring that all personnel take a course on protecting patient information and social media. As of now, the nurses and techs are required to complete the modules but not other staff such as the transport staff or delivery staff. Those people also have to verify patients’ names before delivering their food trays or before taking them down for tests.
Another step my facility can take it by using room numbers and initials on patients’ charts instead of their full last name. The patient’s charts are kept behind the nurse’s station with their last names showing unless they are a confidential patient. If we just put their room number with initials on the end of the charts it can prevent people from seeing a name when they walk by, especially of those with
unique last names.
The third way my facility can further protect patient information is by hiding the patient’s name when logging into the computer application used to medicate patients. When I use the computer to log into the program used to view patients’ information and medicate them all my assigned patients’ names are displayed. I think their room number and initials should be enough and then when I click on their name to go into their medication chart, the full name should be displayed. This can prevent patients and family members from seeing the names of my other patients.
Reference:
Kayaalp M. (2018). Patient Privacy in the Era of Big Data. Balkan medical journal, 35(1), 8-17. doi:10.4274/balkanmedj.2017.0966