HIPPA

[mercyforyou]

A fellow night nurse wanted to see what happened with her patient who was discharge earlier on day shift. So she scroll through the floor on the computer and found the pt name and just read a care note. The patient was still listed as active in the computer system. If someone saw this can she be fired? She was only on their for a couple of seconds.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Pet peeve warning: It's HIPAA (1P, 2As), not HIPPA (female hippo?). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

What do you think will happen to the nurse? Why do you think so? Is this access one that is permissible under HIPAA and facility policy?

[mercyforyou]

Sorry, I realized after I submitted it that I spelled it wrong. And I honestly don't know. Would it stick out, considering she was the patient nurse?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

The patient was not under her care at the time, she did not have a reason to know.

It's up to the facility to take note of her action, and decide on any discipline.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Just leave it alone. Not your business. I say that because if it was a violation the facility will handle it. Also, I do not find anything terrible about wanting to find out what happened to a patient she may care about. Bad judgement maybe, but for the right reason possibly.

[Davey Do]

A similar thing happened at the facility where I work where some employees researched the record for the outcome of an employee's treatment.

Those responsible were strongly cuffed by administration and certain barriers were added to the computer's search program in order curtail such future actions.