Nursing a friendship...

[Ann-Marie Gannon]

The Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK recently published guidance on social media usage. The guidance was published following a number of cases involving nurses being struck off the register due to social networking activity. It includes the advice that nurses or students will put their registration at risk if they share confidential information online or post inappropriate comments about colleagues or patients. It also strongly urge nurses not to use social networks to build or pursue relationships with patients advising that any current or former patient Facebook friendship requests should be declined.

Following the publication of these guidelines, the most recent edition of Nursing Times features a survey of over 1,000 on their social media usage. It revealed some interesting statistics:

• More than 40% of nurses say a colleague has inappropriately posted details of patients of colleagues on a social media site
• 14% of users use a pen name when engaging online
• 59% said they used a form of social media every day, with nearly the same number believing that social media would not help them improve clinical practice to become a better nurse
• Only 21% of nurses feel that using social media sites could be beneficial professionally

The final two statistics are probably most significant; it seems that nurses, much as they are using social networks, do not feel that they are of benefit to the treatment that they have to offer patients. What do you think? Should nurses engage on social networking sites professionally and what can PR people do to convince them of their value? 

[Pamela Charpie]

 I found the infographic from the article particularly interesting. 55% of nurses who discuss work issues via social media use it to express views on nursing or health politics. Perhaps it's a couple bad apples that are ruining the bunch?

[Preeti]

I agree with the post that nursing is a profession which need to be friendly to the patients.

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