What do you all think of this?

Nurses General Nursing

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I think Heather may be correct in saying HIPPA may have alot to do with the pressure being applied. At our hospital, where you work and what your job is determines your level of computer access. I always log off, but as I move through the house, I see alot of computers left on.........That person will not be able to defend themselves very well in a suit.

I too have often looked up labs, vital signs, I&O's, etc...for docs and other nurses. While I understand the need for pt confidentiality, I think an exception needs to made to include access to any pt on your unit at the given time. At my hospital, you can only access pts who are on your unit. The nursery or NICU cannot even access the baby's mother's chart and must contact the nurse of the pt if they need something from Mom's chart.

Originally posted by indynurse

I too have often looked up labs, vital signs, I&O's, etc...for docs and other nurses. While I understand the need for pt confidentiality, I think an exception needs to made to include access to any pt on your unit at the given time. At my hospital, you can only access pts who are on your unit. The nursery or NICU cannot even access the baby's mother's chart and must contact the nurse of the pt if they need something from Mom's chart.

I wholeheartedly agree...a nurse should be allowed to access at least a large portion of information on any patient on her floor/unit or whatever....otherwise, report shouldn't be a group affair...and one would not be allowed breaks...after all, it's hard to cover a group of patients when you are allowed to know next to nothing about them...a well-meaning nurse could accommodate (sp?) a thirsty patient's request for water, only to find out they are NPO for pending surgery...and can't do prn meds on a patient whose records you are not allowed to access...

oh, jeez, stop me now.....:(

Originally posted by hoolahan

I understand the rationale for this, truly I do, but, the powers that be are regulating every last nurse right out the door! I am feeling more and more like we are under the eye of the KGB!

How true!! I feel like every little thing I do is being watched under a microscope. Our hospital still has paper charts. Interesting question about the labs. Our lab will call up critical results instead of waiting for the computer to print them. If the pt's nurse is unavailable the lab will give the results to another nurse. What if the pt's nurse is at lunch or doing a procedure such as inserting a foley? Then what? I sure as heck don't want called back from my lunch break for a result that another nurse can call to the MD. :o

When I work as the house supervisor, I sometimes have to retrieve charts from medical records. I don't even want to do that anymore. I am scared to death that I will see something that I shouldn't then I will be in big trouble. I feel like I am living in a communist state. I am seriously looking at leaving bedside nursing because of all the stupid rules and regs we have to try to practice nursing under. What a freaking mess. :(

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think it's short-sighted and extreme, not even taking into consideration possibility for human error and WHO did this and WHAT THEIR WORK RECORD AND REPUTATION IS LIKE. It CAN happen...e.g. how many "Smiths" are there?????? We all know, name alerts can cause mixup ......I know I have done it myself and when I found I had the wrong patient, (gee, sue me, I was in a rush and highlighted the wrong freaking name among 17 of them with the same surname)! Well I immediately backed out and started over. We have been warned where I work also, that accessing patient files with whom we have no business is grounds for suspension and/or termination, but they DO take into consideration mitigating factors. There must be something up at that hospital.

I find it interesting (and so typical), it's the NURSES they are going after. The point about the M.D.'s forgetting to log out is valid...it happens all the time where I work. Yet I have never heard of an M. D. being threatened with termination of priveledges for a simple, honest mistake. How Orwellian! How typical.:(

Sounds like management has a lot more time on their hands than the nurses do!

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