DIGITAL PROFESSIONALISM refers to how individuals conduct themselves professionally in digital spaces, such as social media, email, online forums, and professional networking platforms. Simply put, it’s about maintaining the same standards of ethics, respect, and professionalism online as you would face-to-face.
Digital technologies increasingly dominate healthcare communication, record-keeping, and professional identity. For staff nurses, digital professionalism denotes the ethical, responsible, and respectful use of digital tools and platforms, ensuring that professional standards, confidentiality, and integrity persist online. As the boundary between clinical and virtual spaces blurs, nurses must adopt digital professionalism to protect patients, safeguard their professional identity, maintain the reputation of nursing, and navigate the complex ethical terrain.
First, confidentiality
Safeguarding patient confidentiality serves as the foundation of digital professionalism. Bound by legal and ethical mandates, nurses must protect patient information. Even unintended digital disclosures, such as sharing vague clinical anecdotes, can breach privacy, prompt disciplinary actions, and erode patient trust. Work on nurses’ ethical decision-making in social media emphasizes the need for active reflection before posting content potentially associated with patients or organizations.
Professional identity
Digital professionalism shapes a nurse’s public and professional identity. Online behavior influences perceptions and opinions among employers, colleagues, and the public. Media posts that appear unprofessional or unguarded can harm your individual credibility and reflect negatively on the nursing profession overall. However, a thoughtful digital presence that shows clinical insight and consideration of consequences can reinforce trust.
Ethical considerations
Digital professionalism serves as a key to ethical communication and interprofessional collaboration. Nurses frequently use electronic health records, secure messaging, and online forums for care coordination. Maintaining a respectful tone, clear messaging, and confidentiality with these technologies supports patient safety and teamwork. Institutional social media guidelines can help professionals balance openness with discretion. Make sure you know your own organization’s policies and protocols.
Culture and trust
Digital professionalism also influences nurses’ perceptions of safety culture and organizational trust. A recent multicenter study by Lee and Jang linked professional behaviors and effective communication with stronger perceptions of a patient safety culture. The authors found that nurses’ conduct in digital spaces may ripple back into their everyday work environment and relationships.
Finally, nurses must serve as role models of digital responsibility. As the public’s expectations of healthcare transparency grow, nurses’ online conduct helps shape overall perceptions of the profession. Upholding professional values such as respect and integrity, even in digital environments, reinforces the social contract between nursing and the communities served.
Digital professionalism isn’t optional. Integral to modern nursing practice, it helps protect patient privacy and uphold ethical standards, strengthens professional identity, and enhances public trust. By integrating professional conduct into our digital lives, nurses continue to embody the virtues of integrity, compassion, and respect.
Lillee Gelinas, DNP, RN, CPPS, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief
American Nurse Journal. 2026; 21(1). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ012604
References
Al-Rumhi A, Al-Rasbi S, Momani AM. The use of social media by clinical nurse specialists at a tertiary hospital: Mixed methods study. JMIR Nurs. 2023;6:e45150. doi:10.2196/45150
American Nurses Association. ANA’ principles for social networking and the nurse: Guidance for registered nurses. 2011. nursingworld.org/globalassets/docs/ana/ethics/social-networking.pdf
Guraya SS, Guraya SY, Rashid-Doubell F, et al. Reclaiming the concept of professionalism in the digital context: A principle-based concept analysis. Ann Med. 2024;56(1):2398202. doi:10.1080/07853890.2024.2398202
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, PL 104-191, 104th Congress.
Lee W, Jang I. Effect of nurses’ professionalism, work environment, and communication with health professionals on patient safety culture. J Nurs Manag. 2023;1591128. doi:10.1155/2023/1591128
Lynn MA, Cook C, Felber Neff D, Kinchen EV, Beever J. Ethical decision-making among nurses participating in social media: A grounded theory study. J Nurs Regul. 2024;15(2):45-56.
Nelson-Brantley HV, Parchment J, Chipps E, et al. The relationship between social media use, nurse characteristics, and job decision-making. J Nurs Adm. 2024;54(10):544-53. doi:10.1097/NNA.0000000000001487
Wells SK. Do’s and don’ts of social media use for nursing professionals. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. February 19, 2024. aacn.org/blog/dos-and-donts-of-social-media-use-for-nursing-professionals
