Accountability plays a vital role in Science because without it there can be no consequences for people who spread harmful and misleading information. It’s one of the reasons that peer reviewed papers identify the authors and institute that submitted the paper, and why citing your sources is so important.
So in the medical field where practitioners have the ability to cause direct harm to people it is especially important to hold individuals to account for any advise or information they provide to the public and Reasonable Hank has been doing that for sometime with his excellent Anti-vaccine Nurses and Mid-wives segment. Where Nurses and Mid-wives who use their medical credentials to spread deceptive health advise on social media are routinely called out.
Now the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia is stepping in to take action:
The NMBA has become aware that there are a small number of registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives who are promoting anti-vaccination statements to patients and the public via social media which contradict the best available scientific evidence. The NMBA is taking this opportunity to make its expectations about providing advice on vaccinations clear to registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives.
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Any published anti-vaccination material and/or advice which is false, misleading or deceptive which is being distributed by a registered nurse, enrolled nurse or midwife (including via social media) may also constitute a summary offence under the National Law and could result in prosecution by AHPRA. –Nursing and Midwifery Board Australia
Of course the anti-vaccination movement that likes to scream “accountability” for medical professionals has done a complete about-turn (as expected) and is upset by this latest increase in accountability in Australia.
This sentiment might have been acceptable, if it wasn’t coupled with the organization also prompting people to tattle on each other. You see, the board is also urging members of the public to come forward and report nurses and midwives who may be expounding anti-vaccination beliefs. Surely anyone who goes against the grain deserves to be punished? –Vicki Batts, idiot.
Yes, anybody who “goes against the grain” needs to be punished that’s how professional standards work. It looks like anti-vaxxers are losing again and we will continue holding them to account.