Newswise — GLENVIEW, Ill. – June 8, 2011 – APHON, the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, has released a position paper on the use of social media in the workplace, providing guidelines to nurses working with pediatric patients in the hematology and oncology arenas. The policy is one of the first-ever for nurses working with child patient communities and their families.
Designed by APHON’s members Terri L Boyce, MSN RN CPNP-AC CPHON,® Megan M. Davis, MSN RN CPNP CPHON,® Cheryl Gerdy, MSN RN CPON,® and Anita Pool, RN CPN, and ratified by the APHON board of directors on April 9, 2011, the new policy provides guiding principles for nurses interacting with patients via CaringBridge, Facebook, UTube, Twitter and other social media communities.
“Given the widespread availability of both patient and health care provider’s personal information on the internet and the increased use of social media, smart phones and social networking across all age sectors, we felt it was imperative to provide ethical guidelines for our members, as well as nurses in the profession,” said APHON president Deborah Echtenkamp, MSN RN, CPON,® and a nurse at Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas.
APHON’s position paper reviews how social networking sites may threaten professional boundaries, potential HIPPA violations through the use of social media and the potential for damaging the professional relationship between nurses and patients via information on websites.
APHON is the professional organization for pediatric hematology/oncology nurses and other pediatric hematology/oncology healthcare professionals. Its nearly 3600 members are dedicated to promoting optimal nursing care for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and blood disorders. For more information, visit www.aphon.org or call 847.375-.4724.# # #
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