Patients taking selfies in clinical areas

[whichone'spink]

I hate this selfie trend with a passion. Seriously. People look so freaking stupid when they hold up their phone and snap a picture with ugly duck lips. And this trend is so pervasive, that people are taking selfies in places where they really shouldn't. I've noticed with young patients that are close to my age that have surgery, many of them take selfies of themselves in PACU or Phase 2 (when they get their belongings back). What should I do when I see them taking out their stupid phones and making those stupid duck lips? No, there is not set hospital policy regarding patients taking selfies. There should be though.

[Karou]

My brother was in the hospital over the summer for major burns and ended up with 3 skin grafts. While they had him in hydro after his initial skin graft he tried taking pictures of his donor site and the nurse made him delete all pictures right in front of her even though literally nothing but his leg could be seen.

Did they have a policy for that? I don't understand that at all. It's his body. His skin. His camera. Can someone explain to me why this could ever be something a patient is not allowed to do?

[JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN]

I agree wholeheartedly with the PP who mentioned this compulsive need to document every single mundane happening on social media. It's part of the reason why I deleted my Facebook. I think it's really sad how young people today are more interested in broadcasting their lives than actually living them. It's like they choose how their days go based solely on how they can show it off to the world via the internet. It's pretty sad.

I think part of it is because, for most young people, hospitals and surgeries are very foreign. Most of the millennial generation is fortunate enough to have good health and being in a hospital or procedure area is very novel to them. Wanting to document this strange experience is not that terrible, in my opinion. As long as it doesn't violate cleanliness or the privacy of hospital staff and other patients, I guess it's harmless. I took a selfie in the preop holding area when I had knee surgery because my mom wasn't with me and she wanted to know how things were going. The surgery before me took longer than anticipated so I had to hang out there for quite a while.

I did NOT, however, nor will I ever, use duck lips. That should be illegal.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

My brother was in the hospital over the summer for major burns and ended up with 3 skin grafts. While they had him in hydro after his initial skin graft he tried taking pictures of his donor site and the nurse made him delete all pictures right in front of her even though literally nothing but his leg could be seen.

Did they have a policy for that? I don't understand that at all. It's his body. His skin. His camera. Can someone explain to me why this could ever be something a patient is not allowed to do?

I was thinking the same thing. As much as I dislike the selfie's anywhere and everywhere trend how could the nurse make him delete pictures of himself from his own phone?

[Emergent, RN]

When I had my accident last winter I had the residents in the ER take photos of my injury. I'd been transported to a regional trauma center for emergency surgery. I did post on Facebook before I went to surgery. I was far away from friends and family, and the support and prayers I received were so comforting.

Social media isn't all narcissistic nonsense, it is a good way to connect with people in our lives.

[toomuchbaloney]

I am struck by the number of people who would like to see this practice banned (or similar) because they don't like it. That seems a bit ego centric to me.

Clearly, if the photo does not include images of other patients or staff without their permission it is nothing we should waste our time on. If it is not violating the rights of another it is okay, whether or not you personally approve, unless it violates some rule of the facility or unit. Even then, I wonder how such a rule would survive a legal challenge. We are a country of personal freedoms, after all.

There are a few people in my FB feed who post selfies of them looking adorable nearly everyday. Mostly they are women and all of them are single.

That is anecdotal, for sure, but in my circle of contacts the selfie addicted are known to be experiencing some insecurity secondary to love, work, or similar. I see the selfie as a somewhat effective tool in seeking and recieving positive messaging and reinforcement from people who know these individuals. Then there are those who take it to a level where you begin to wonder about their mental health BECAUSE of the selfie obsession.

My spouse takes selfies when we travel to the Alaskan wilderness. Those are the beautiful scenary images with her face included at the request of friends and family. She often does a 360 film with her in the middle spinning around like a top while the mountains fly by in the background making me feel slightly dizzy and ill after watching. Friends are particularly fond of those.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

I take issue with friends/family who take photos of patients under the influence of medications such as the genius girls taking photos of the barely conscious teen bruised and swollen in post-op blissfully announcing how they were posting on IG & FB. I was a student and the nurse intervened as the patient could not consent to such nonsense.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I guess I don't see the problem as long as they aren't taking pics of other patients. I have taken pics of 'cool" injuries for several patients. It's a fabulous distraction to ask a 12 year old with an obvious deformity of the arm if he has posted a pic to Facebook yet!

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

As long as the nurse isn't in it and other pts are not in it, then really who cares.

My facility does support staff and has a policy that pts and families can not take pictures of staff.

But if they want to take selfies during their stay, who cares, it keeps them occupied right?

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Social media isn't all narcissistic nonsense, it is a good way to connect with people in our lives.

For some, yes, for others it's a 'look at me! Look at me!". Those, I have deleted from my friends list

[OwlNation]

Only if it violates HIPAA of another patient. Luckily the psych unit has a no electronic policy. I do not think that I could stand TV's blaring in every room while trying to take care of a very medically ill patient!

[nursehaley91, BSN, RN]

Did they have a policy for that? I don't understand that at all. It's his body. His skin. His camera. Can someone explain to me why this could ever be something a patient is not allowed to do?

Honestly he was never told the reasoning why. When I asked the nurse she just said "we don't feel comfortable allowing pictures taken while he is down here with us." I could understand if any staff were included, I personally would be ticked off if a patient took a picture of me. But it was literally a picture of JUST his donor site that he had wanted to see himself but couldn't due to the angle. The nurse literally stood there and watched him delete the picture from his phone.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

We have a no video, no pictures

or recording of staff with out their consent, no pictures where you can see other babies or families.

Our families sign a paper upon admission outlining these rules and if we see them doing the above we can ask them to delete them in front of us. If they don't we send a note to legal. In our Delivery rooms they can't take pictures with us in the photos or video tape us working on the baby. Same rules apply.

We have a dad right now that amuses himself for hours taking selfies of himself sitting in the chair lol