I have a confession to make

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

Okay I have a confession to make. I looked up my own chart (lab test results) at work. Yes, Its a "HIPAA" violation to see you own chart or medical records, but this was a situation of potential life or death consequences. I still do not understand how looking at your OWN medical records is considered a HIPAA violation...can i have criminal charges thrown at me for looking up my own health info? Please! Gimme a break!

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to look them up on your own is a reason for dismissal

next time ask your doctor to provide you with a copy of any lab done on you, this is your right and cannot be refused

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to look them up on your own is a reason for dismissal

next time ask your doctor to provide you with a copy of any lab done on you, this is your right and cannot be refused

Please explain why looking up your own records is a reason for dismissal. You are your own "clearance" to your medical records after all. I have never heard anyone explain why, well.

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Please explain why looking up your own records is a reason for dismissal. You are your own "clearance" to your medical records after all. I have never heard anyone explain why, well.

Can't give you a reason why... but it is what it is. You're entitled to see all of your medical records, but you have to either get them from your doctor or go through medical records. The rest of the public doesn't have the "luxury" of looking up their records any time they choose.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

That's not exactly true of all facilities. Some facilities DO allow you access your own records and those of a minor child, that's all. What the best thing to do is find out what's policy at your facility and stick to it.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

You do not "own" your medical records. They are the proporty of the facility. You have a legal right to see them, but the records themselves are not your property. The people who own them (the facility) have an obligation to show them to you -- but they can make policies as to how and when that occurs. As the owners of the chart, they have rights, too.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC, Rehab, Hospice, Endocrine.

One of the reasons that you are not supposed to access your chart on your own at a lot of facilities is that there is a policy in place to protect you. Someone who understands what the chart says (even if you do understand it) is supposed to review that information with you. If you mis-read something or mis-understand something, you can cause yourself a lot of grief.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I hear all the reasons, but I think it's a dumb rule and I resent it.

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I second that it's dumb & I resent it!:twocents:

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i will have to agree with you but dumb rules are part of life

did you see the current thread where a nurse was given 3 day suspension just for checking the name [did not open chart file] not his name but he really did not become informed of any thing about the patient

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

This is sure a case of a 'rule made to be broken' if I ever heard one.

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

As far as I know it is not a HIPAA violation to look up your own records. In most places though it is against institutional policy. It is a HIPAA violation to look up your spouse's, etc records though.

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