A question of ethics

[Kris0215]

If a nurse is given a business card by a patient and the patient states, "If you ever need a reference for anything, you can use my name and number." Is this an ethical issue? The patient had stated his reason for doing so was because the nurse gave very good care, and had excellent people/communication skills.

It has been my understanding that gifts of value are not ethical to accept, but what about a person's word or opinion?

Taking the business card and saying thank you, may not be unethical. However if the nurse chose to use the patient as a reference, this may cross boundaries that are not meant to be crossed for ethical reasons. Plus if the nurse did use him as a reference to say get a job or something, and then benefited from a good reference then this would be a gift of value.

So how does this play on the ethics score? Opinions please.

[Anna S, RN]

When I was a nursing student, a pt (a retired nursing professor) offered to be a reference for me.

I took her up on her offer.

Since she gave permission, and freely offered herself as a reference, I see nothing wrong with it.

[RN_rescue_ninja]

I wouldn't take home anything that had a pt's name on it, and I wouldn't mention the pt's name as a reference to anyone or for any reason, either. Not going to take a chance violating HIIPA that way...

[edmia, BSN, RN]

OP: it was just a nice gesture. Nothing wrong with it. Unless you got a weird vibe from the guy -- as in, was he trying to pick you up? I have had that happen often. I keep it neutral, say thank you, and chuck the card in the trash as soon as I'm out the door if I get that skevy vibe. It's the stuff women have to deal with day in and out. Men just assume we want to be propositioned! Such .......

Oh, and this is just my grammatical lesson of the day: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 = HIPAA.

It's not HIPPA or HIIPA. :)

[banterings]

Kris0215,

Congratulations on care and compassion recognized by your patient. For a patient to offer that, I can only imagine that what he was dealing with must have been quite difficult and he probably received less than compassionate care from others.

Giving you his business card can be interpreted as consent (HIPAA) as long as you only use the information contained on the card. As a CYA, I would ask for a letter of recommendation from the patient and ask that he state he allows you to use him as a reference. By having the reference in the form of a letter written by him, then there is implied if not overtly stated consent.

If you look at all the threads where nurses feel unappreciated, this is a feather in your cap.

I would also bet that this individual is probably a business professional. This is common for them to offer themselves as references.

To protect yourself keep it professional. Use a professional email if you are going to communicate that way, use your school's nursing department (your attention) if there will be anything mailed. If you have any bad vibes about this person, just throw the card away.

I have offered myself as a reference for people who have given me good service, especially if they are just starting out in their careers. I feel that this is more appropriate than sending them an expensive bottle of wine.

There is a simple formula that you can use to help discern his sincerity:

(the intensity of what he went through) + (how others treated/mistreated him) + (how you treated him) - (his personal "ick" factor)