1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
Scalpel, Suture, Tweet By Joe Darrah
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
10-Mar-10
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
With the expanding scope of healthcare's HIPAA regulations, the use of social media within the healthcare landscape is a very debatable concept. This story covers the usage of the social networking site Twitter within operating rooms at specific U.S. hospitals. The legal and ethical ramifications as well as security concerns are also discussed with legal experts.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
All information was gathered via interview. Background information was also provided by participating facilities, and Twitter accounts are referenced.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
A physician, legal nurse, public information officer and security management consultant were all interviewed for this story.
6. Results (if any).
N/A
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
We had a few reader comments posted online sharing opinions, but nothing was challenged factually and there were no corrections or clarifications needed to be made.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
This is a story still worth pursuing. The more facilities that engage in the practice the more hotly debated the issue will become.