It is extremely important not to violate a patient’s right to privacy. There are all the obvious reasons of how it will affect the patient, but let’s focus on ourselves right now.
You could lose your job. You could lose your license. You could lose a whole lot of things.
Sounds scary, but you can share your experiences in a safe way. I think one of the reasons nurses face burnout and stress is because we feel we aren’t able to talk about why we’re feeling the way we do. We commiserate with each other at work, but once you go home you can’t explain everything that’s bothering you.
We work short-staffed, supplies or equipment is hard to come by, the hours are long, and we may not get a break. All of these contribute to our mood. But patients have an effect on us too. Maybe a patient gave you a sweet Christmas card, maybe they threw a chair at you, or maybe you watched someone die.
None of us want to get fired, so here are some basic guidelines for when you’re sharing.
Keep in Mind
- Focus on your experience. This is your story, the patient is just a part of it. How did you feel about this situation? What did you do?
- No pictures of your patients. Even with their permission. Permission can be rescinded at any point, so they can change their mind about that Facebook photo tomorrow.
- Don’t describe what patients looked like. If you want to give a medical description for something, like cachectic or gushing blood like a fountain go ahead. But we don’t need to know their hair color.
- Don’t use names. If you feel you need to use a name for the clarity of your story make it up and let everyone know you made it up. But try not to use names at all.
- Keep quiet about where you work. The type of nurse or unit you’re on is fine, but don’t name hospitals or clinics or even cities where you work.
- Stories you heard from a friend of a friend still count. We all know someone who knows someone who took care of someone famous. The internet doesn’t need to know about it.
- Social media posts can be used as evidence in malpractice cases.
- Patient family members should not be identified either.
- Reread what you wrote before posting!
Categories: Uncategorized
