Overview
As national lawmakers push the Senate Aging Committee, the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Justice to specifically address inappropriate use of social media in nursing homes and as inappropriate posts become more publicized, social media demands more attention from those in the health care field. Laura Bonadies addressed the subject in a presentation for the Indiana Healthcare Association titled, “Workplace Social Media Use and Abuse: Considerations for Providers.” She discussed potential regulatory, civil, and criminal actions that could result from inappropriate social media use, as well as HIPAA and Elder Justice Act related concerns. She also addressed the importance of providers training staff upon hiring, providing routine in-services on cell phone use and social media policy, and vigorously enforcing cell phone and social media related rules and policies.