NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2
[Student Name]
Capella University
[Prof. Name]
August 2025
NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2: Interprofessional Staff Update: Protecting PHI in ICU
The priority of patient privacy is important since critical illness in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting holds a big potential towards implementing a stronger emotional response among the patients at highly dangerous conditions. Social media offer the opportunity of self-expression but weakens the privacy, security, and confidentiality of patients. The dangers of noncompliant use of social media are described in NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2, and we can find some suggestions about how to ensure that the use of social media does not result in compromised confidentiality of protected health information (PHI).
Protected Health Information (PHI), Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality
The issue that can be discussed in relation to NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2 is the PHI that includes information about health care, medical treatment, and other exchange related to health care. To ensure that patient information is kept in a confidential way, HIPAA has laid down rules that should be followed (Edemekong et al., 2022). The privacy suggests that the patients have the right to their data. As an example, your experience in the intensive care unit might be disclosed as a post on the social media without your consent. This will prove the security of the electronic patient data by ensuring that the afore-noted protected health information is either breached or accessed by unauthorized individuals. An example would be to share the progress of a patient on social media, which may unintentionally reveal other previously confidential data that falls under the risk of being hacked by a cybercriminal. Confidentiality refers to the privacy of patient data that is, patient information is not divulged without the consent
of a patient. One example is the disclosure of information about illness of a patient to family members without a consent of this patient and/or family members.
Most of the studies have focused on patient privacy and confidentiality concerning the use of social media, and NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2 dives on these issues. The most notable topics talked about here are the hazards, moral dilemmas, and best practices that should be adopted by healthcare workers. As mentioned in the research by Ahmed et al. (2020), social media search engines have the ability to interlink one another, which leads to the possibility of the publication of patient information even when it does not exist. Moreover, as indicated in NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2, publishing patient pictures in training and education platforms has the potential to target a larger audience than intended since such platforms are not always confidential and managing them once published is difficult. On a regular basis, social media tends to illustrate ethical violations as stumbling blocks to the formation of positive therapeutic alliances (Vuku Rukavina et al., 2021). Insufficient social media publications containing protected health information negatively affect the reputation of the company, resulting in retaliatory measures, including the loss of their jobs and lawsuits, as was the case with Vukušić Rukavina et al. (2021).
As DOs and DON’Ts, the facility’s social media policies protect patients’ privacy and confidentiality. The DON’Ts also include releasing inaccurate information, participating in online arguments, uploading images of patients without their permission, and leaving derogatory comments on their sites. General employment information, work-related achievements and successes, health advice (not specific to the patient), and well wishes, like “get well soon,” are all included in DOs. In addition, healthcare
providers must adhere to state and HIPAA privacy requirements pertaining to protected health information; noncompliance can result in penalties, legal action, and even criminal prosecution.
Importance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration
As NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2 emphasizes, multidisciplinary teams are crucial in making sure the tailored technology solutions align with clinical workflow and PHI regulations. Clinical decision support systems and electronic health records (EHRs) can be deployed safely and easily with the help of this collaboration position. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in providing the most comprehensive security of patient information in the protection of electronic patient information is demonstrated. For example, by the development of a robust security protocol that could be used throughout our systems by the IT team, legal professionals, security professionals, and nurse informaticists. Instead of using personal social media accounts to discuss patient care, the real world is adopting an evidence-based approach to ensuring these by implementing thorough social media policies and encrypting data. The data could be both in transit and at rest using secure communication platforms like Microsoft Teams or Signal. The role of interdisciplinary team members must also be taken into consideration when determining and supporting stringent data access. Regular audits by legal experts and nurse informaticists are also required in order to identify vulnerabilities and implement corrective measures, plan for incident response, and conduct regular trainings (Pool et al., 2024). These plans outline the components of protected health information and demonstrate how departmental collaboration can create a useful framework for ePHI security. In addition to individuals, organizations,
and policymakers, healthcare professionals are among the target audience for the social media post. Since they are under the purview of electronic health information, the members of the interdisciplinary team are included in the healthcare professionals. Instead, in order to build this trust, patients should be told that the organization is working to protect their private information (Bridges et al., 2021). Governments and regulators that assist in maintaining protected health information are known as policymakers. All healthcare specialties must work together properly to secure sensitive protected health information. As noted in NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2, procedures including open communication and training can improve our capacity to protect patient privacy and guarantee adherence to HIPAA regulations.
Social Media Risks in ICU and Steps to Take if a Breach Occurs
Sensitive patient information may be accidentally revealed through social media posts about working in the intensive care unit (ICU) (To, 2024). The reputation of healthcare facilities suffers when patient privacy and confidentiality are violated. Sports groups have been punished heavily for violating the law, and nurses have been fired for posting private, protected health information on social media. When an unsecured ePHI breach is discovered, the responsible party should respond quickly and systematically. Immediately notify the supervisor or privacy officer. Additionally, remove any visible writing to prevent further reading by others. Next, conduct an investigation to determine the extent of the breach, its causes, and any necessary corrective measures. Finally, as stressed in NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2, train staff, insist on privacy regulations, and carry out specialist training to guarantee future blunders are avoided, promoting a culture of personal responsibility and habitual upgrades.
Evidence-Based Strategies to Mitigate Risks
Most healthcare firms require training sessions on social media policies, HIPAA compliance, and secure ePHI handling. By highlighting the kinds of data that protected health information includes, this fosters the culture of ongoing training that aims to reduce unintentional breaches and teach the idea of responsibility. For example, the study by Gamor et al. (2023) discovered that nurses who received frequent training had a far higher awareness of social media risks and complied with privacy policies. The usage of private social media accounts to discuss patient care has been replaced by corporate communication tools (like Microsoft Teams) or encrypted messaging apps (like Signal) in hospitals. Secure systems aid in preventing inadvertent information leaks and HIPAA violation avoidance, claims To (2024). limiting the dissemination of patient information to readily available staff only when absolutely necessary, while keeping in mind the company’s social media usage guidelines. As noted in NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2, a major healthcare institution has developed a thorough social media policy that expressly forbids the sharing of patient information on social media, either directly or indirectly. The policy lays forth guidelines for professional social media use and imposes penalties for noncompliance. Barrett-Maitland and Lynch (2020) stress that in order to prevent violations, clear procedures minimize misconceptions and give staff helpful norms. Make a commitment to ongoing education regarding the responsible use of social media in our care setting, taking into account the vulnerabilities of our very sick patients.
One Midwest hospital’s nurse informaticists trained staff on how to securely and efficiently handle sensitive data using EHR systems. In addition to explaining What is
Protected Health Information? they conducted lectures on how to spot phishing scams and other online crimes. By using technology, nurse informaticists were able to minimize errors and maximize data security (Booth et al., 2021). In order to identify potential vulnerabilities, the designated healthcare facility in California conducts a quarterly audit of the social media usage and PHI access logs. Discipline and additional training are used to address the disparities. To find and fix security system flaws, HIPAA mandates regular risk assessments (Allen, 2021). “One of the hospitals in Florida was able to establish a confidential reporting system where the employees could report to their supervisors or privacy officers in case they observed any potential breach, highlighting what protected health information includes.” The anonymous reporting system was set up by the organization to raise any possible violations of confidentiality or misuse of social media. Employees can report issues anonymously through the system’s online portal and helpline. As stressed in NURS FPX 4045 Assessment 2, Allen (2021) asserts that prompt reporting and repair can minimize the impact of breaches and have an impact on their recurrence.
References
Ahmed, W., Jagsi, R., Gutheil, T. G., & Katz, M. S. (2020). Public disclosure on social media of identifiable patient information by health professionals: Content analysis of Twitter data. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e19746. https://doi.org/10.2196/19746
Allen, A. L. (2021). HIPAA at 25 — A work in progress. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(23), 2169–2171. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmp2100900
Barrett-Maitland, N., & Lynch, J. (2020). Social media, ethics, and the privacy paradox. Security and Privacy From a Legal, Ethical, and Technical Perspective. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90906
Bridges, C., Duenas, D. M., Lewis, H., Anderson, K., Opel, D. J., Wilfond, B. S., & Kraft, S. A. (2021). Patient perspectives on how to demonstrate respect: Implications for clinicians and healthcare organizations. PLOS ONE, 16(4), e0250999. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250999
Edemekong, P. F., Annamaraju, P., Afzal, M., & Haydel, M. J. (2022, February 3). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500019/
Gamor, N., Dzansi, G., Konlan, K. D., & Abdulai, E. (2023). Exploring social media adoption by nurses for nursing practice in rural Volta, Ghana. Nursing Open, 10(7), 4432-4441. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1685
Pool, J., Akhlaghpour, S., Fatehi, F., & Burton-Jones, A. (2024). A systematic analysis of failures in protecting personal health data: A scoping review. International Journal of Information Management, 74, 102719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102719
