Social Networking and HIPAA: Ethical Concerns for Nurses

Nurses work in a personally and professionally challenging discipline. Traditionally, nurses have turned to their friends, family members, and workplace colleagues to facilitate the reflection and debriefing that must occur after an emotionally difficult experience. With the rapid increase in accessible and acceptable online social networking, nurses have turned to this asynchronous environment to share experiences, make meaning out of difficult situations, and cope with the ongoing rigors of the nursing profession.