Problem: In your position you are responsible for coordinating patient education across the medical center, including all programs and print materials. Your staff includes three BSN-prepared nurses, one located at each of the hospitals. As one of your initial steps in this new position, you have completed an assessment of the current educational offerings and staff satisfaction with the quality of the current programs. One area of need stands out: The professional staff report that a growing number of patients have been joining online social networking sites. One staff member said, "It seems patients are helping each other get access to these online groups where they share lots of information about their conditions." These connected patients are now raising new and sometimes challenging questions about treatment options. Few among the staff has explored the online sites, and they express concern that by joining the site they could be at risk of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Discussion Questions: What ethical concerns do you have about the sharing of health data online? Considering today's privacy rules, how can you be expected to maintain confidentiality when patients are sharing data so freely? How might privacy rules evolve?