Practices in Reinforcing Patient Privacy among Nursing Students

Abstract

Information and telecommunication technology are widely used by a majority of nursing students nowadays, and the digitalisation process was further accelerated during the pandemic. However, technological advancement does not only bring merits but poses tremendous risks to patient privacy. Meanwhile, student nurses bear risks and liabilities identical as registered nurses, confronting the factual challenges of patient privacy protection in their clinical practices.

The study is to identify practices in reinforcing patient privacy among students. The purpose of the study is to improve the awareness of nursing students and the satisfaction rate of patients with patient privacy practices. The research question of this study is: what practices reinforce patient privacy patient among nursing students.

The research method of this study is the literature review. Research articles were sourced from CINAHL and PubMed databases. After the article selection process, there were 7 papers chosen for the data analysis out of 393 articles retrieved from the accessible databases.

The main findings of the reviewed articles were coded and synthesised into three distinct themes: Under Occupational Competency, the focus is on Professional Values and Clinical Privacy Awareness. Practical Application and Management of Information Flow were encompassed in Privacy Protection Strategy. They can reinforce patient privacy among nursing students. This is followed by Contributory Factor Theme, which include Educational Impact and External Influence, as contributes to patient privacy reinforcement among nursing students as well.

The literature review underscores that reinforcing patient privacy in nursing education necessitates a multifaceted approach, which includes fostering a deep understanding of professional values, implementation of practical privacy protection strategies, employing effective educational interventions and being aware of external influences.