A coworker was stunned to go into a room and find a parent watching an pro-terrorism, anti-America, anti-Semitic video. Allegedly, it was calling for the destruction of the president, America, Jews. She was horrified at the content and even more so horrified that the parent was watching in front of the child, and didn't seem to care if she heard.
She called Risk Management who said there was nothing to do, because it would be a violation of HIPAA.
I felt DCS should have been called because it is emotionally abusive to subject a child to hate speech. (we're talking actual hate speech, here). She was going to consult with a social worker on this aspect.
I also suggested she make an anonymous FBI and/or Homeland Security tip.
Yes, but people are allowed to watch any propaganda they like.
From what the OP (who, BTW, never actually saw the video for herself--this is a second hand account) described, this was not a bomb-making video. This was not a Skype where the parent and another person were making plans to go do some heinous act. We have no way of knowing the context of why parent was watching the video.
And we have freedom of speech.
We don't even know if the OP's co-worker is one of those easily offended types who sees the sky falling everywhere.
We don't know.
I personally carefully monitor what my kids are allowed to be exposed to. Some parents are stricter than me and some more lenient. After 911 I shut off the TV for a week and only listened to radio. Other parents kept the TV on, then wondered why their kids were getting nightmares about smoking buildings crashing to the ground.
Should I have reported them to CPS?
But here's something to consider.
If your patient's parents become fearful about you, that they had better be the same as you and think like you and only watch videos approved by you, what do you think will happen once they get their child home? They'll massively distrust the health care system, and you, and your hospital, and will be very reluctant to seek health care in the future. To the detriment of their kids and themselves.
Of course, the OP's friend could maybe have taken the time to know the patient's family on a personal level, get a broad sense of who they are (not based on one context-less video viewing) and try to form a bond of trust that perhaps the nurse could begin to subtly influence them...
More importantly, I would have notified Law Enforcement and given them a heads up. They always want to know about stuff like that. As far as HIPAA goes, I'm not so sure about that. It's not like you are telling them a diagnosis, or demographics, or medical information. This is a safety and security issue.
I'd be curious to know what station aired that. Those are the folks that law enforcement would probably want to speak with.
What exactly would you tell them? That a family member was watching a video readily available on public TV? What would they do with that information?
They can do whatever they like according to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the USA. They cannot DO anything along the line, but they can think, read and watch. And I would leave alone the content of video games so many people play in front of minor children.
My situations were, for one example, family member with swastika tattoos watching anti-Semitic video in room (with no minor kids around, but I guess he would do just the same). I left the room and told the manager that if she would force me, a Jew, care for this patient, I would refuse it and let the chips fall where they might. She listened :)
Actually the First Amendment does not let you say "anything" you want. You cannot yell "Fire" in a movie theater, or other things that could cause harm. The First Amendment is greatly misunderstood. I have read many comments on this post that reflect opinions relating to media outlets, how to raise children, but not many objective, or factual.
The OG asked a question about protecting her patient, which is a young minor being exposed to videos propagating hate crimes. My opinion I would report to your child welfare agency, in my state nurses are mandatory reporters. I would then speak with the unit social worker. That is not breaking HiPAA, which HiPAA does not cover family members video watching (some people need to brush up on that-Sugarmagnolia your manager being one of them).
If your an adult-care nurse and have been exposed to similar situations I believe this is a bit different. You wouldn't call a child welfare agency for obvious reasons, but if your patient was watching something like this would you notify someone? If it was pure propaganda I wouldn't, but I would document it somehow. If it was a how-to video, yes I would report to someone. It is our responsibility, not because we are nurses but because we are responsible citizens.
This is perhaps the most sensible thing to happen in America this year.
Obviously it relates to trying to prevent school shootings, but the whole point of this is a cultural shift, to make people aware of other people and of danger signs.
Be sure to scroll down and watch the video at the bottom of the page.
Would you report this? If so, what exactly are you going to report? And to whom?
I actually posted immediately below her on page five answering this question, but I'll post again. As mandatory reporters she should report to her state Child Welfare Agency. Spankedinpittsburgh stated that was a video you can watch on major news stations. I 100% disagree. You cannot watch video coverage of wanting to kill the president or how to kill Jews on national television. That is abusive and criminal in nature and children should not be exposed to it. This is not a question of if you agree with it (super scary if you do) and it's not about your political affiliation, it's about protecting your patient which is a minor. I would then speak to the unit social worker. Your manager is not the end all of the conversation, the nurse is the patient advocate.
What exactly would you tell them? That a family member was watching a video readily available on public TV? What would they do with that information?
You think a video talking about killing the president and speaking hate language about Jews is readily available on public TV? What TV do you watch? I think you are confusing video about not liking the president or questioning the president with this. There is no video readily accessible on any network or cable channel that talks about killing the president.
You think a video talking about killing the president and speaking hate language about Jews is readily available on public TV?
In the aftermath of the Charlottesville rally a few months ago, I saw several Tiki Torch wielding fools advocating "taking the country back" from Jews, African Americans, etc. They may not have explicitly said "kill" members of those groups, but I'm pretty sure they did not intend on accomplishing their goals thought writing witty opinion pieces. True, NBC is not really "public" TV, but it also not some obscure site from the dark web (although they were probably on PBS too).
Personally I don't agree with any of this looney nonsense either from the right, left, Islam, the born again lunatics or what-the-heck ever. However, unless this person who was watching the video also produced it for private viewing I imagine its publicly available. Check out YouTube, the internet or for that matter the nightly news and you can see all kinds of this stuff. Are we supposed to pretend that this child is not going to be watching this stuff for the rest of his / her time with the parents. Neo-Nazi compounds are full of kids who get preached all manner of violence against any number of groups, ditto the jihad imbecilic twits who want to wire their kids up with bombs. Unless there is a concrete plan to perform imminent violence all this seems to fall under the umbrella of bat-poop crazy rhetoric. Unfortunately you can still be a hateful butt-wipe and procreate and nobody is looking to take the kids outta these situations. Heck we give little kids who just got the living poop beat out of them by dear old mom or dad right back to those same parents daily. Lets not get too nutty about a video that is probably way less violent than the verbiage these kids hear daily or watch on tv or play on video games. The world ain't full of Maybury FRD's any more and Sheriff Andy died a long time ago. Its a brave, new mean world and reporting somebody to the authorities for watching a video you don't approve does exactly nothing about that
In the aftermath of the Charlottesville rally a few months ago, I saw several Tiki Torch wielding fools advocating "taking the country back" from Jews, African Americans, etc. They may not have explicitly said "kill" members of those groups, but I'm pretty sure they did not intend on accomplishing their goals thought writing witty opinion pieces. True, NBC is not really "public" TV, but it also not some obscure site from the dark web (although they were probably on PBS too).
After Charlottesville we saw reporting on hate and terrorist groups participating in that event on all major news channels, they were not promoting their agenda, which is what this nurse witnessed. Those are two different things and several nurses on here are stating we can watch any day and any time on any major news channel video stating to kill the president and hate speech against the Jews.
Daisy Joyce
264 Posts
Yes, but people are allowed to watch any propaganda they like.
From what the OP (who, BTW, never actually saw the video for herself--this is a second hand account) described, this was not a bomb-making video. This was not a Skype where the parent and another person were making plans to go do some heinous act. We have no way of knowing the context of why parent was watching the video.
And we have freedom of speech.
We don't even know if the OP's co-worker is one of those easily offended types who sees the sky falling everywhere.
We don't know.
I personally carefully monitor what my kids are allowed to be exposed to. Some parents are stricter than me and some more lenient. After 911 I shut off the TV for a week and only listened to radio. Other parents kept the TV on, then wondered why their kids were getting nightmares about smoking buildings crashing to the ground.
Should I have reported them to CPS?
But here's something to consider.
If your patient's parents become fearful about you, that they had better be the same as you and think like you and only watch videos approved by you, what do you think will happen once they get their child home? They'll massively distrust the health care system, and you, and your hospital, and will be very reluctant to seek health care in the future. To the detriment of their kids and themselves.
Of course, the OP's friend could maybe have taken the time to know the patient's family on a personal level, get a broad sense of who they are (not based on one context-less video viewing) and try to form a bond of trust that perhaps the nurse could begin to subtly influence them...