The two-hospital nonprofit health system confirmed the investigation in an Oct. 31 Facebook post.
“This video has prompted an outcry from concerned community members,” the post reads. “We want to thank those of you who brought this to our attention and assure you that we are taking this very seriously. This individual does not speak for Salem Health. The employee is under investigation and is not working during the investigation. We want to assure you that this one careless action does not reflect the position of Salem Health or the hardworking, dedicated and compassionate caregivers who work here.”
The original video — which was posted Oct. 31 on Twitter and has since been deleted — shows the emergency department technician looking into the camera and making faces while a patient groans in pain off-screen, according to Salem Reporter.
A screen recording of the tweet posted Nov. 1 shows the following caption with the video: “When a patient has poor coping skills.” The employee did not respond to a request for comment via Instagram from Salem Reporter Nov. 1.
Lisa Wood, Salem Health spokesperson, said the health system is investigating the worker related to the organization’s patient privacy and social media policies, according to Salem Reporter, which is not identifying the worker since the investigation is ongoing.
According to Ms. Wood, Salem Health prohibits workers from posting patient-related experiences or material, even without protected information included, “that could reasonably cause community members to lose confidence in the quality of patient care that we provide.”
She also said the policy advises against posting photos or videos taken on hospital property while on the job, according to Salem Reporter.
Read the full report here.
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