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

[Blue Roses]

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

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I don't believe for one minute Nurse Pham was not competent to care for her critically ill patient. I was as outraged as anybody when she was blamed for her own illness. My extended family, who are not in health care, were also outraged. However, I was surprised when I read her age. In my personal experience, nurses with decades of experience just "know" more. Simply doing the same thing for 30 years gives you an edge on somebody who's been doing it for 4-5.

That's a gross generalization, and definitely not true in all situations.

Then I considered that all the 30 year experience nurses said "hell no", and Nurse Pham stepped up.

Eventually we'll know the circumstances of how nurses were chosen to staff that isolation room. The media will make sure of that.

[nor902]

I think this Texas Hospital has more issues they need to take care. Shame on them for allowing this nurse and Duncans info splashed all over the news. Blaming the said nurse for breach of protocol without full investigation of the actual facts. Sending Duncan home without thoroughly working up his case. I think they are trying to deflect these issues off of themselves.

[FLAlleycat]

A nurse does not need a CCRN to care for critically ill patients . . . . It's a nice thing to do, particularly in this day and age when jobs are more difficult to come by. But in 38 years, I never bothered to get a CCRN, and neither did many of my contemporaries. Back in the day it was expensive to get and to maintain and I had more urgent needs for that money. Now, I think I've proven my worth as a critical care nurse.

Now that more hospitals are seeking Magnet status, it is not uncommon for RNs who have been in a special field to suddenly seek certification. In any media article referring to her "recent" certification, I always post this if comments are allowed.

[mamajrn]

Lets continue to hold Ms Pham in prayers! It's sad that her competence is in question by people who know nothing about nursing. As for that article, gosh it makes me so angry.....get well soon Ms Nina

[UnaNayeli]

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 hear you, elkpark. I am angry for Mr. Duncan as well. The difference -- for me -- is that I can identify with this young nurse and so it is more personal. By standing up for those I identify with closely, I have found I can, and do, make a little bit of difference is this world. I hope Mr. Duncan has similar people who will defend his position.

Yes, I am idealistic, but I find it a better mindset -- for me -- than to passively sit watching television or ignoring life's realities. Its just how I deal with things that get under my skin.

[UnaNayeli]

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?!

Exactly! If true, this means our personal lives are accessible solely through our profession, far too easily.

Yes, the world we live in is changing. This, however, is not about privacy alone. This blurs professional boundaries and I believe it is to my benefit to become knowledgeable about -- and involved in -- managing those boundaries.

[UnaNayeli]

"What bothers me about the release of her information is that now, if she survives (which I hope), everyone or anyone who has been paying attention, will know her as the "Ebola Nurse."

I said this exact thing to someone yesterday. At her age, I could not have handled such public scrutiny well.

[UnaNayeli]

To be clear, I do not agree with the outing of the nurse and the way she has been treated in the media, but I have never understood this notion of "Facebook stalking".

How is it stalking to read personal information on the Internet that the person has willfully and intentionally put on there?

I personally gave Facebook up awhile ago and agree with you. However, I did use it in its early days. I got caught up in the hype. If everything on the 'net truly IS always on the 'net, people could find such details about me too. They're inane details, but that doesn't matter; so is the stuff being written about this young woman. Her age group grew up with social media and I think the consequences of its use aren't well-defined quite yet, especially for younger people.

[UnaNayeli]

Also this nurse's uncle was speaking on CNN about her, as you said.....don't blame the media.

I thought I saw them doing so only in her defense and in order to clarify her position? I'd have to search to find that news clip, though, if you want proof.

[BlueDevil, DNP]

There are other nurses at Pres saying several of the staff caring for Mr Duncan disregarded instructions for proper removal and also layered PPE as well as taping gloves to cuffs after being told not to. I assume that is the "breech" being referred to.

I guess we just have to see if the staff that followed instructions also turn up positive before we can say this was the cause.

I find the violation of privacy abhorrent, personally.

[SweetSong]

I think the attempt was, at first, to throw the nurse under the bus....until more information came out that showed the conditions she had to work in with improper PPE, misinformation or no information, or conflicting information..etc.