You may want to use social medial sites such as Facebook or Twitter while in hospital to keep your friends and family updated on your family member's health status. Social media sites are great tools for sharing, but when you share your story, you're offering personal details of your health and family life to everyone. You have no control over how these details are shared and used. It is important to consider whether your family member would want you to share. What you post could be shared with people you do not know.
There are expectations of privacy for all patients, family members and staff while they are in hospital. Therefore, permission must be obtained if their image is going to be posted anywhere.
A few things to consider if you plan to record photos, audio or video using your camera or cell phone to document the care of your family member:
- You must have the written permission of everyone who appears in the photograph or recording and they must know how the image or recording will be used.
- Capturing the image must not interfere with the care of your family member.
- The health care team must agree in writing to any requests for photography or videotaping of the patient at the time of the request.
- You can create private pages on Facebook or other social media sites and restrict access to only specific individuals.
