HIPAA and Nursing Challenges

[crNAtion]

HIPAA is a fundamental principle for nurses to understand in protecting the privacy of our clients. We have to be aware of the ways in which information can accidentally be leaked, or visitors can present threats to the safety of our clients.

For example, I never understood how a person could just waltz in through the doors to a hospital unit, walk into a patient's room, and potentially harm the client. I know some defenses are in place: locked doors, unit clerks and other staff to ask the person who they are and why they are there, passwords to access certain rooms, etc. However, if these defenses aren't in place (which they often are not for practical/financial reasons), many patients in the hospital are easily accessible and vulnerable to such threats.

How can we reconcile not sharing information over the telephone to a stranger who claims to be a friend/family member when we will let any Tom, Dick, or Harry visit the patient in person when they're claiming the same thing?

What are your thoughts on this?

[RN403, BSN, RN]

I often think about this. How do we know who is really going into our patient's rooms and what their intentions are? I'm interested to read the responses.

I will say on a personal level, when I went to visit a loved one in the hospital a few years ago, we had to sign in with the unit secretary who was at a desk right outside the double doors that gave you access to the unit. We had to state who we were and how we were related to or involved with said loved one. Then we got a little sticky badge with our name on it.

Im sure people could slither past this security measure if they really wanted to, but, it did give me a little sense of comfort knowing those measures were in place. Now, this same facility has some units where no such measures are in place.

Over the years I have heard of a few incidents where people have been killed in their hospital rooms by visitors (husbands, wives, bf, etc) and I have heard stories of this happening in other areas/hospitals as well. I don't know how we could 100% protect our patients. Hospitals are pretty public places. Anyone could walk in with anything at anytime. I guess just trying to be aware of any strange behavior, clothing, etc would be one way that we could attempt to keep our patients safe.

Just my $0.02, again, very interested to see how other hospitals handle this and what not.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Are you a RN? What do you need the answers for? If this is research we have a process for this....Want to submit a research request?

We are happy to help with homework however, we need to know what you think and what your research has revealed to you?

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

HHHmmmmm,..HIPAA is in no way in place to physically safeguard patients who are in the hospital,....if this is homework you should read up a bit

[ktwlpn, LPN]

This poster graduated with his BSN recently. I think he has a good point. We protect the info better than we do the patients (and the staff)