Challenges of Social Media in Nursing
The nurses must understand the benefits and challenges of using social media. Thus, before utilizing social media as a teaching tool, the nurses must carry out a thorough analysis of the pros and cons associated with social media use. The prime action that a nurse must take is the analysis of the security and privacy features embedded in social media channels (O’connor et al., 2018, p. 2273). This will give them a broad idea regarding the ill effects of social media if the data is not safeguarded properly.
Healthcare providers can use social media to develop interactive patient strategies. This may involve direct patient engagement. It can be through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram as the healthcare professionals can reach out to a wide patient base, thereby, sharing information related to private practice and medical facilities (Kotsenas et al., 2018, p. 155). Social media helps in developing online communities that are beneficial for healthcare practitioners. The patients are benefitted from a wide range of information available online regarding physicians’ timing, the latest medical equipment installed in healthcare facilities, and similar others.
A significant challenge associated with the use of social media is accuracy (Thomas et al., 2018, p. 1513). Analyzing and identifying accurate public health information in such channels are difficult for individuals who are highly interested in examining medical conditions, treatment, and others. Additionally, breaching of patient privacy is also noted in the use of social media. Time constraints are evident to be another challenge associated with the use of social media by healthcare experts. Physicians are typically booked within 15-30 minutes each day.
