Have you ever taken care of a celebrity?

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My Cousin Susan took Louis Armstrongs vitals once as a student nurse !!!!!!!!!!!

As some of you know, I'm now working at a LTC facility...which I love.

I think HIPAA is a good thing, but some nurses take it to an extreme.

If one of our patients are admitted into the hospital, and we call for an admitting diagnosis for our paperwork, we are told that they cannot give out that info d/t the HIPAA law. :rolleyes:

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I agree that sometimes HIPAA is taken to far. I have been trying to find out more info on providing info over the telephone. People refuse to give out info over the telephone to family members who may be outside of the area or unable to come in to the hospital. I used to go by this and feel very guilty because family would be very upset, and after all we are to be treating the families needs as well as nurses. I usually will transfer the call into the patient's room and have him or her identify the caller and give me permission to give info to the caller and then I will do it. If the patient is unable to identify a caller due to altered mental status, I will not be able to give out information. If there is power of attorney, I think if we ask for 2 forms of identifying information, it is enough to provide info over the phone such as birthdate and street name or something like that. It is confusing to me.

Also, I would ask radiology to call me, the RN, with the results of an xray test so I could relay to the MD if he/she called. One tech said she can't give me info. Then I informed the DON and she went down and straightened things out.

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First do no harm is not a nursing rule, it is taken from the Hippocratic Oath. Nurses do not take Oaths. The Hippocratic Oath is not longer taken. 90% of medical school graduates take this:

THE OATH OF MAIMONIDES

"The eternal providence has appointed me to watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. May the love for my art actuate me at all time; may neither avarice nor miserliness, nor thirst for glory or for a great reputation engage my mind; for the enemies of truth and philanthropy could easily deceive me and make me forgetful of my lofty aim of doing good to Thy children.

May I never see in the patient anything but a fellow creature in pain.

Grant me the strength, time and opportunity always to correct what I have acquired, always to extend its domain; for knowledge is immense and the spirit of man can extend indefinitely to enrich itself daily with new requirements.

Today he can discover his errors of yesterday and tomorrow he can obtain a new light on what he thinks himself sure of today. Oh, God, Thou has appointed me to watch over the life and death of Thy creatures; here am I ready for my vocation and now I turn unto my calling."

THE PRAYER OF MAIMONIDES

"Almighty God, Thou has created the human body with infinite wisdom. Ten thousand times ten thousand organs hast Thou combined in it that act unceasingly and harmoniously to preserve the whole in all its beauty the body which is the envelope of the immortal soul. They are ever acting in perfect order, agreement and accord. Yet, when the frailty of matter or the unbridling of passions deranges this order or interrupts this accord, then forces clash and the body crumbles into the primal dust from which it came. Thou sendest to man diseases as beneficent messengers to foretell approaching danger and to urge him to avert it.

Thou has blest Thine earth, Thy rivers and Thy mountains with healing substances; they enable Thy creatures to alleviate their sufferings and to heal their illnesses. Thou hast endowed man with the wisdom to relieve the suffering of his brother, to recognize his disorders, to extract the healing substances, to discover their powers and to prepare and to apply them to suit every ill. In Thine Eternal Providence Thou hast chosen me to watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. I am now about to apply myself to the duties of my profession. Support me, Almighty God, in these great labors that they may benefit mankind, for without Thy help not even the least thing will succeed.

Inspire me with love for my art and for Thy creatures. Do not allow thirst for profit, ambition for renown and admiration, to interfere with my profession, for these are the enemies of truth and of love for mankind and they can lead astray in the great task of attending to the welfare of Thy creatures. Preserve the strength of my body and of my soul that they ever be ready to cheerfully help and support rich and poor, good and bad, enemy as well as friend. In the sufferer let me see only the human being. Illumine my mind that it recognize what presents itself and that it may comprehend what is absent or hidden. Let it not fail to see what is visible, but do not permit it to arrogate to itself the power to see what cannot be seen, for delicate and indefinite are the bounds of the great art of caring for the lives and health of Thy creatures. Let me never be absent-minded. May no strange thoughts divert my attention at the bedside of the sick, or disturb my mind in its silent labors, for great and sacred are the thoughtful deliberations required to preserve the lives and health of Thy creatures.

Grant that my patients have confidence in me and my art and follow my directions and my counsel. Remove from their midst all charlatans and the whole host of of ficious relatives and know-all nurses, cruel people who arrogantly frustrate the wisest purposes of our art and often lead Thy creatures to their death.

Should those who are wiser than I wish to improve and instruct me, let my soul gratefully follow their guidance; for vast is the extent of our art. Should conceited fools, however, censure me, then let love for my profession steel me against them, so that I remain steadfast without regard for age, for reputation, or for honor, because surrender would bring to Thy creatures sickness and death.

Imbue my soul with gentleness and calmness when older colleagues, proud of their age, wish to displace me or to scorn me or disdainfully to teach me. May even this be of advantage to me, for they know many things of which I am ignorant, but let not their arrogance give me pain. For they are old and old age is not master of the passions. I also hope to attain old age upon this earth, before Thee, Almighty God!

Let me be contented in everything except in the great science of my profession. Never allow the thought to arise in me that I have attained to sufficient knowledge, but vouchsafe to me the strength, the leisure and the ambition ever to extend my knowledge. For art is great, but the mind of man is ever expanding.

Almighty God! Thou hast chosen me in Thy mercy to watch over the life and death of Thy creatures. I now apply myself to my profession. Support me in this great task so that it may benefit mankind, for without Thy help not even the least thing will succeed."

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Originally posted by Gomer

I work in a large hospital in the LA area and we have many celebs. Our rule is very simple: Don't Ask, Don't Tell (whether the patient is a celeb or not).

Same where I worked! I've always found the celeb excitement thing kind of silly anyway- especially as a nurse. Their pee, poop, blood and vomit is no different from mine or yours.

And I agree that it has little to do with HIPAA whether an individual nurse respects the privacy and confidentiality of the patient. HIPAA can be used to enforce and penalize, but confidentiality issues have been around long before HIPAA came into existence! :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

Can't say I've ever taken care of any true celebrities though maybe some local celebrity's family members sometimes. I guess the closest I came to celebrity was caring for some of a set of quadruplets at our hospital. The only reason I feel comfortable sharing that is that the parents gave an extensive interview to the local paper telling all the details of the birth, gestational age, weights, what hospital and unit they were in, even names of the infants. So when my mother-in-law called for details (she is learning I don't give out information) I was able to tell her all that was in the paper. The closest I came to a "breech" and I'm not really sure it was one was admitting that I had seen the infants and had cared for a couple of them.

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Originally posted by jemb

HIPAA can be used to enforce and penalize, but confidentiality issues have been around long before HIPAA came into existence!

Well... this does go back quite a while, but our newspaper used to publish the names of every single person admitted to the local hospital, their doctor, and diagnosis!! Ugh, how's that for confidentiality?

:eek:

~j

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Was that the newspaper for Peyton Place?

peytonplace-1.jpg

:rolleyes:

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Originally posted by Gibbie

Boy, if I were a celeb and found out my name was appearing in here. I WOULD BE WILD. I agree HIPPA all the way!!

I would consider it the price of fame. That anonymous people mentioned I was a patient somewhere wouldn't bother me a bit.

Of course, I would have to agree with what is said. Disclosing the names of former patients is wrong.

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Originally posted by BarbPick

First do no harm is not a nursing rule, it is taken from the Hippocratic Oath. Nurses do not take Oaths....

I realize that this is an MD oath but maybe we as nurses do need an oath (especially when "who are your celebs patients?" is a question someone even asked). Everyday I say "do no harm to others" whether I'm working or not. It's just my mantra.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Originally posted by mother/babyRN

I never knew who they were until it was pointed out to me by other nurses.

HIPAA VIOLATION!!! GET THEM FIRED FOR DISCLOSING INFORMATION THAT YOU DID NOT NEED TO KNOW!

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Originally posted by Gomer

I realize that this is an MD oath but maybe we as nurses do need an oath (especially when "who are your celebs patients?" is a question someone even asked).

No the question was HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN CARE OF A CELEBRITY. Lets be clear.

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raises her eyebrows

smiles and winks.

my grandmother took care of teddy roosevelt when she was a nursing student.

thats all i know and i was close to her. privacy and protection of patients info has always been a nurses concern.

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