Will you add your patient in facebook?

StNeotser, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2010

Nope. The relationship has to stay professional.

nyteshade, BSN · Mar 3, 2010

Never! It is unprofessional. I wouldn't want my patients involved in what my friends and I are talking about. Also, in the age of lawsuits you never know what intentions your patients may have...

nurserynurse55 · Mar 3, 2010

No, but people on my unit do!

Moogie · Mar 3, 2010

No. Not a current patient, not a former patient, not even someone who may have been my patient twenty or thirty years ago. I know there are nurses who would disagree with this but for me, it's a boundary issue and I don't think it's appropriate to have any sort of a relationship or friendship with someone who might have been my patient in the past. It would make me very uncomfortable to have a former patient seek me out and try to establish contact with me on a social networking site.

realnursealso/LPN, LPN · Mar 3, 2010

https://allnurses.com/gsearch.php?cx=011053513414221467008%3Amv5noemjf4m&cof=DIV%3AF1F1F1%3BBGC%3AFCFCFF%3BFORID%3A10&domains=http%3A%2F%2Fallnurses.com%2F&sig=NrRbS9DWpBilCd8I&flav=0000&q=facebook&sitesearch=allnurses.com&sa=Search#963

Link to many, many posts on this same topic.

J4865 · Mar 3, 2010

I wouldn't, I prefer to keep my personal life personal. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, don't.

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2010

I'm not even friends with people I work with, let alone with a patient. Not that I've done it yet, but if I have a shift where I just need to pop off about something, I want to feel free to do so. Most of the people at work that are friends with each other are the b----y/cliquey types and I want as much distance from drama as I can. It's bad enough to deal with their crap at work. That's one of the things I dislike most about my job. Why would I let that seep into the rest of my life?

I agree with the other posters too. It's just a boundry that shouldn't be crossed.

Tait, MSN, RN · Mar 3, 2010

Funny this comes up. Recently this week we had a young, dramatic patient. It was my first night having her and when we did walking rounds the off-oing day shift nurse (whom I love to death!) agreed to the patient that she could add her to facebook. She then said that she could add me as well!!

I was a bit taken back, as I had never even taken care of this patient, and really didn't need to become friend #746 or what have you for her. Luckily she didn't ask for my information later (and I keep my last name covered on my badge.)

I have discussed with several younger celiac/colitis patients about being facebook friends, however none of the connections have ever come to fruitition. But this is few and far between. (My husband has celiac/ulcerative proctitis so sometimes connections are made with my patients when we get to talking).

I really don't think I ever want to have a random patient as a friend, I would just hate it if I vented about work, or they wound up stalking me for medical advice later.

Just my two cents,

Tait

StudentGrace · Mar 3, 2010

Six degrees of separation folks -nothing on a social network (be they friend or not) is ever private.

Spiderella · Mar 3, 2010

I cosign what StudentGrace just said. I took care of a patient for a couple of weeks. The next month, I left a comment on my friend's FB page wishing her congratulations on her pregnancy. It just so happened that my patient's daughter went to high school with my friend. She (the daughter) saw me on FB, and then mentioned it to my friend. Fortunately, her mom and I had a great relationship/experience, and her mom was being discharged that day. Six degrees of separation indeed---nothing is ever private thanks to Google!

mappers · Mar 3, 2010

I work on an oncology floor and we often have "frequent fliers." I had a patient's wife ask to be my friend. I turned it down even though others on my floor who accepted it. Now I see them posting that he's back in the hospital, etc...Totally inappropriate I think and a HIPAA violation. I like a lot of my patients and am glad they make connections with us, but I'm just not going there.