Hippa

Hello and welcome to the family of allnurses. Good luck to you.

I have recently been asked to present an in-service on HIPPA to our nurses. Here's the deal... We are a small 25 bed hospital with a pretty active ED. Sometimes when a patient the staff knows or code/trauma comes in some of the staff takes off to the ED to see who it is or to 'check on the pt'. I'm certain this is in violation of HIPPA and am needing some education materials to present to my nurses. We've all been to the mandatory meetings but I need to present some info to them that they'll understand better.

I also work on a 25 bed unit. First how do they know who is coming to the er. Is someone down there calling the staff or are they looking in the computer and seeing who is in the er? Staff have to realize that just because they are employeed they are not priviledged to know everyones business either. Maybe start off with how it is a hippa violation to look at a patients chart if you are not their caregiver and go from there.

melissa

We have an EMS radio at the nurses station which clues people in most of the time if there is something coming into the ED. Also sometimes the nurses call for back-up from the RN on Med/Surg. And, yes even with it being such a small hospital, word travels fast. We are having trouble with our whole hospital and confidentiality, from Transcription to X-ray. Guess I have a lot of teaching to do.

Thanks!