Devon is a nurse working on a medical-surgical unit that was converted to a unit devoted to caring for COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization but do not require intensive care. During one of his shifts, Devon provided care for a patient who was beginning to show signs of respiratory distress. The physician decided to try turning the patient to a prone position (lying on the stomach). The respiratory technician placed the patient on high-flow oxygen. The healthcare team was trying to avert having to intubate the patient. Devon belonged to a Facebook group devoted to nursing care of the COVID-19 patient across the globe. After reading the posts, he decided to post the following question to the group:

I have a 63-year-old patient with COVID. She was healthy prior to this and worked at the Starbucks on the corner of Clark and Addison streets as a full-time barista. If you were ever near there, you would remember her as always smiling and happy to help. We are trying to avoid intubation with her so we placed her in the prone position. She is still having difficulty breathing and we are unsure what to do next. Does anyone have any suggestions?

1.

Did Devon violate the patient’s privacy by posting the question on the private Facebook group? Provide a rationale for your response.

2.

How does posting questions on a Facebook group that is private in order to find out what works for other healthcare providers pose confidentiality problems?

3.

Revise Devon’s post so that it does not violate the patient’s confidentiality.