Media a bit too invasive of nurse's personal info following her catching Ebola?

Nurses COVID

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Am I the only one who feels very uncomfortable reading this article about the Texan nurse who caught Ebola on the job? Or is this ethically ok because of the availability of information these days?

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/who-nina-pham-meet-nurse-who-contracted-ebola-n224726

Yahoo news stated something to the effect of, "She was keeping her identity private, but we have exclusively learned who she was through her home location and nurse's license." Um.... what?!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

UMMM HIPAA ANYONE?????! why is any of this ok???

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UMMM HIPAA ANYONE?????! why is any of this ok???

The press is not bound by HIPAA. This is a matter of public concern, and the media is more than happy to feed the public's interest. Why is her privacy any more important than Mr. Duncan's?

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The press is not bound by HIPAA. This is a matter of public concern, and the media is more than happy to feed the public's interest. Why is her privacy any more important than Mr. Duncan's?

An expose on anyone's life without their express consent (using half-truths, scandal-mongering phrasing, etc), without serving any purpose other than financial gain for the publishing entity, is plain old yellow journalism.

I'm not going to address why or whether her privacy is more valuable than someone else's; I think the manner in which her life is put on display--and the obvious insinuations that she is at fault because she "only" received CCRN certification a couple of months ago--is disgusting.

Actually, I guess I WILL address privacy issues: I would say this is a violation of another human being's privacy regardless of WHOSE life is scandalized in this manner.

Pretty sure we didn't need to know what type of home she lived in, or where. Pretty sure we didn't need to know if she had CCRN certification (or any other certs, for that matter). And as for Facebook/Pinterest? Pretty sure public safety isn't preserved because we know whatever cute sayings she had posted on these accounts.

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I guess I'm an outlier on this, but, given the massive, widespread dissemination of personal details, gossip, (and conspiracy theories) about Mr. Duncan, why does she deserve any more privacy than he got? I don't recall anyone suggesting that every private detail of his life and condition should not be public. This is the world we live in now. "Privacy" is apparently an irrelevant, outdated concept.

I would answer that because unlike Mr. Duncan, the only border she chose to cross was the one consisting of fear and potential panic. She stepped up to what was placed before her and did what she was trained to do. She worked to try and save that man's life. And took on the hog's share of the risk. She's being rewarded by being essentially declared to be incompetent (by the director of the CDC on national news/television), contracting Ebola, and now having everything about her being declared fair game for all to see.

If I'm a Foreign National coming to the US for a visit, but carrying a deadly disease across continents, I'd expect scrutiny. If I'm a healthcare worker reporting to work like any other day I'm not expecting:

1. Being given that Foreign National to care for with what is arguably inadequate preparation and equipment.

2.To contract their disease.

3.To be thrown into the national spotlight to be publicly declared incompetent without recourse.

No good deed goes unpunished. People need to leave that woman the hell alone.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.
The press is not bound by HIPAA. This is a matter of public concern, and the media is more than happy to feed the public's interest. Why is her privacy any more important than Mr. Duncan's?

Because she didn't lie to the authorities. Because she didn't selfishly risk other human being's lives. Because she stepped up and took care of a man that did. For this she is villified and blamed. No amount of back-pedaling by the CDC is going to change this. This article proves that.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, , Home health, Education.

I'm concerned about the comment resulted from an unknown "breach of protocol" in treating ....how do they know there was a breach in protocol? They say we are safe using Contact precautions but what if this monster virus is starting to mutate and there is a respiratory component? My prayers go out to the nurse from all of us. I don't know too many nurses who will risk caring for these patients in light of what has happened.

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Specializes in NICU.

This article made me sick to my stomach.

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Because she didn't lie to the authorities. Because she didn't selfishly risk other human being's lives. Because she stepped up and took care of a man that did.

From the further reporting that is coming out about Mr. Duncan since the initial hysteria is starting to die down, there's no evidence that he lied to authorities or "selfishly" risked other's lives, either.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.

Google mapping and Pinterest stalking? Insult to injury.

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Yet another phenomenal reason to NOT use Facebook or Pinterest, or Twitter, or....fill-in-the-blank social media. If you do 'invite' people to read about you....they will. Or, in the case of bottom-feeding journalists...publish you more widely than you thought would be.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

The article is a joke...the writer doesn't even inform what many lay people know, that nurses are LICENSED, NOT certified, and goes down from there. :no:

What happened to all the educated journalists out there?

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