With due respect to my learned coleagues - but is this Britney thread just a little bit too much like gossiping about patients outside of work?
This forum is public access and our speculative presumptions about any identifiable person receiving health care may be construed as breaching some ethical boundaries. Although her entire life is being broadcast globally and every news company and their teaboy is paying anyone for any information; speculative or generalised included; I think it prudent to restrain ourselves on current diagnostic and intervention opinion on someone who is currently receiving more attention than compassion.

My personal thoughts.

Gossiping? No, I'm using news stories about a public figure to illustrate issues I see everyday in our health care system. There are a lot of people like Britney who aren't getting the help the need because of loopholes in our system.

MJ

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Sanity is madness put to good use. George Santayana.

http://nurse-ratcheds.blogspot.com

Speculating about what a known person may or may not have wrong with them in a public forum challenges my beliefs about confidentiality and professionalism.
Health care system issues are worthy of public debate.

Much of this thread has been about the way in which we are portrayed the story of Britney.

If I as a nurse worked in the hospital where Britney had been taken and then I spoke of it here then that would be a breach of confidentiality. I can't breach confidentiality on someone I know nothing about other than that I have read or heard about.

Correct me if I am wrong.

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Julie
http://www.lifeinthenhs.wordpress.com

I agree with you Julie. We are merely speculating on what we've heard about her situation. Who knows if what's being reported is accurate.

As long as none of us are actually taking care of her, I don't see the harm in discussing it.

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code blog

I think I had a mild form of postpartum depression when both of my children were born. Although it did not advance to postpartum psycosis, I was definitely depressed. I don't know if it was from the sudden lack of hormones or the shift of attention from me to "the babies," either way my mother was a huge help to me when I layed my head on her shoulder and cried. As she held me and talked to me about "this being normal right now," she helped me cope with the turmoil from within. I wonder how many out there don't have a support system like I had which leads to the depression becoming a psychosis.

Who knows, maybe I'm way out in left field, but then that's okay too. I'm always out in left field.

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www.MyOwnWoman.blogspot.com

You asked for it!

Ok, in the spirit of discussing the 'ethics of nursing' my feelings are this - hmm.. perhaps I should take it to another thread?

Leave you gossiping women alone....

(I'm being facetious... post partum depression is serious issue and I don't want to detract from that convo.... meet me in another thread...)