NR 361 Week 7 Discussion: Use of Personal Communication Devices in Patient Care
Settings
This week, we will discuss personal communication devices and their use in healthcare. As we
focus on this topic, please address the questions below in the discussion.
How can the use of the nurse's personal communication device(s) impact patient care
positively and/or negatively?
What are the ethical and legal implications of the use of personal devices?
What does the professional literature say about how communication devices can support
safe nursing practice?
Answer:
We used to communicate with the physicians via text messaging all the time. It was some of the
physician’s preference to be texted with new patients coming into the facility. However, the
downside to this is if you lose your phone all types of pertinent information regarding a client are
in your phone and it can violate HIPPA regulations. I used to delete every message after the
conversation was over and if any orders were given after I transcribed and made sure another
nurse verified the same thing I read.
Some ethical implications are that our devices are not supposed to be used for these purposes and
as I mentioned in the paragraph above about losing a phone with all that client information inside
could be a huge problem. HIPAA violations vary in severity and have several different
disciplinary actions. Some could even lead to termination. Other penalties can include a $100.00
fine for every violation. $25,000fine for the same type of violation committed multiple times,
and $50,000-$250,000 fine for willful violations. Some of these fines come with jail time too
(Alder, 2021).
Using communication devices can help client safety by increasing timely communication
between healthcare members and the client. The Joint Commission identified delayed
communication as a contributor to adverse reactions (VanDusen, 2017). The Joint Commission
Settings
This week, we will discuss personal communication devices and their use in healthcare. As we
focus on this topic, please address the questions below in the discussion.
How can the use of the nurse's personal communication device(s) impact patient care
positively and/or negatively?
What are the ethical and legal implications of the use of personal devices?
What does the professional literature say about how communication devices can support
safe nursing practice?
Answer:
We used to communicate with the physicians via text messaging all the time. It was some of the
physician’s preference to be texted with new patients coming into the facility. However, the
downside to this is if you lose your phone all types of pertinent information regarding a client are
in your phone and it can violate HIPPA regulations. I used to delete every message after the
conversation was over and if any orders were given after I transcribed and made sure another
nurse verified the same thing I read.
Some ethical implications are that our devices are not supposed to be used for these purposes and
as I mentioned in the paragraph above about losing a phone with all that client information inside
could be a huge problem. HIPAA violations vary in severity and have several different
disciplinary actions. Some could even lead to termination. Other penalties can include a $100.00
fine for every violation. $25,000fine for the same type of violation committed multiple times,
and $50,000-$250,000 fine for willful violations. Some of these fines come with jail time too
(Alder, 2021).
Using communication devices can help client safety by increasing timely communication
between healthcare members and the client. The Joint Commission identified delayed
communication as a contributor to adverse reactions (VanDusen, 2017). The Joint Commission
