When patients discuss other patients.

[oramar]

Yesterday I was suprised to hear a patient and her family discussing another patient on the unit. They had a lot of details about the other patient's conditions and family situation. At first I thought there had been a serious HIPPA violation but then I was told the two patients had known each other for 50 years. Trouble is the conversation occured in the dining area of a rehab unit and now just about the whole patient population of the unit know the same information I heard. You just can't do anything about these sort of things I guess. HIPPA does not cover patients revealing other patients private information. Some of you might say I should take the blabber aside and caution her. Nope, I ain't going to do it, I am not getting paid to be an agent for the HIPPA police.

[oramar]

Just wanted to say "HI" to oramar. :) Long time, no "see."

Hi Zee, How about them Steelers!

[oramar]

Wow Oramar. I can't even remember the last time I saw you posting. Where the heck have you been. I hope you have been well.

I agree with you I am not playing the hipaa police. Does hipaa actually cover family members sharing your info? I don't think so. Otherwise family members would be getting lock up and fined in WR all over the countries.

Oh I still post from time to time. One of these days I will get around to paying the fee and then I will be over at the forbidden threads giving my opinion about everything. Nice to hear from you.

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

Here is a twist on this theme...

Say you walk into a room with a patient that is very anxious, scared and really would like to walk out AMA. So as part of our interventions we ask the patient why...and they tell you of a story that happened to their family member in hospital or facility that makes them terrified of being there...now, is this a HIPAA violation? Did the patient breach confidentiality by talking about a loved ones condition and treatments in the healthcare setting?

No...patients are not held accountable to HIPAA like we in healthcare are.

Or say there is a patient in a double room that just saw their roommate in with a doc. The doc is telling the patient about their diabetic neuropathy or careful foot care within earshot of the other patient. Then the patient tells a family member what they heard and wants to improve their own status by eating healthy, watching their sugars, and so on....did the Doctor then breach HIPAA??? Maybe so, but with good outcome!?!?

Very grey area in the guise of being black and white! And when it comes to HIPAA, yes I believe in confidentialty big time, but it has scared so many people that it is becoming too powerful of a thing to be good as it stands now.

I have heard horror stories of nurses or doctors afraid to tell another doc or nurse about a patients condition even when that other nurse/doc is going to be working with the patient...or in the case I know ohhhhhh so well...nurses calling me for report from my facility (Assisted living...just recently left) and I give them the info, but when I ask how my patient is I get "oh I can't discuss that because of HIPAA".....WHAT???

I stick with the code of confindentiality as I find ethical and moral...keep out of earshot of others when possible, speak only as loud as necessary, keep paperwork either turned over or covered (like at the RN desks), and don't talk about pts outside of direct care.

Heck..how many times have we ALL breeched HIPAA by talking about pts to family members/friends that are not their medical POA or medical rep???

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

oh i still post from time to time. one of these days i will get around to paying the fee and then i will be over at the forbidden threads giving my opinion about everything. nice to hear from you.

i haven't gotten around to paying, either. i tried to pay through pay pal one day, and had such a hard time navigating through that maze that i gave up!

ruby