Is this a Hipaa Violation?

[JWEMT]

my friend has this on facebook.

‎@ Recovery- rape victim came in w/ lady partsl lasceration(= ripped; sry 4 da spelling), while intoxicated. i think da rapist should stil be charged da same amt nonetheless.

@ recovery rm- tuberculosis pt came from the OR. Used disinfectant tissue & gloves 4 t hold things, wipe down everything w/ alcohol pads, then used han sanitizer- over cautious 4 a nurse t b rn't i?

she also has her workplace and department posted.

at the very least, it is unprofessional

actually i just noticed there's a lot of post on the subject.

Im just wondering what I should do?

I don't work with her she's a clerk.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

She should not be posting anything related to a patient that was given care at her hospital. This is a HIPAA violation. If one so chose to do so, they would just have to look up the police reports/warrants/complaints for the day the patient came in and put the name to the patient. This is identifying information. I am in disbelief. That poor patient! And for the sake of what?

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

my friend has this on facebook.

‎@ Recovery- rape victim came in w/ lady partsl lasceration(= ripped; sry 4 da spelling), while intoxicated. i think da rapist should stil be charged da same amt nonetheless.

@ recovery rm- tuberculosis pt came from the OR. Used disinfectant tissue & gloves 4 t hold things, wipe down everything w/ alcohol pads, then used han sanitizer- over cautious 4 a nurse t b rn't i?

she also has her workplace and department posted.

at the very least, it is unprofessional

actually i just noticed there's a lot of post on the subject.

Im just wondering what I should do?

I don't work with her she's a clerk.

Print it, take it to your manager and let them decide what to do. The patients at this hospital are at risk because this clerk clearly does not understand what it means to protect privacy.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

she should NOT have that posted on facebook, I don't know if its hippa or not but she can still be fired for it

[GODfavorsme!]

It might be a HIPAA violation if it were written in a language known to man, but since it seems to be in some secret code indiscernible to any other person, I think your friend is alright.

I certainly can understand it, and perhaps others can as well.....

[Fribblet]

It's borderline. A case could certainly be made. Regardless, it's an affront to the English language and, frankly, should be punishable by law.

Also, a "nurse" should know how to spell "laceration."

Is your friend really a nurse, or a pretend one? Even if this is not a true HIPAA violation, the sheer stupidity conveyed in her posts should be grounds for having her license revoked.

Nurses should be held to a higher standard. Unfortunately, stupidity is still coddled.

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

I'm just sooo glad you asked if it was a HIPAA violation , not HIPPA!

[jessica.lanelle]

I have personally known nurses that have been written up, and almost fired for this exact type of thing. First of all, it does violate HIPAA, as it would not be that hard to figure out who the pt is. Secondly, she should not be on Facebook @ work. Third of all, I don't think many people would care to read that on Facebook. (And I am not even going into the issues I have with the spelling :) )

[nursel56]

I'm just sooo glad you asked if it was a HIPAA violation , not HIPPA!

I know, huh? (thought the same thing)

OP, I think you should tell your friend to stop doing that, and if she wonders why, there are lots of horror stories here on allnurses for her to read. I've never seen the person with the iffy Facebook postings return victorious from a tangle with the hospital HIPAA police, even if it was clearly a misunderstanding by them of a work-related pic or post.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I certainly can understand it, and perhaps others can as well.....

It was meant as a humorous stab at the atrocious spelling, textspeak, and grammar. I also knew what it said, and strongly feel that this is a HIPAA violation, and nothing short of completely inappropriate.

I'm friends with several co-workers on Facebook. Once I posted online that my job made me sad sometimes. Immediately several of my co-workers responded asking what happened to which patient. I was not referring to any particular patient, just feeling down overall. I didn't reply to my coworkers, but since then, am much more careful about what I post.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Also, a "nurse" should know how to spell "laceration."

Is your friend really a nurse, or a pretend one? Even if this is not a true HIPAA violation, the sheer stupidity conveyed in her posts should be grounds for having her license revoked.

Nurses should be held to a higher standard. Unfortunately, stupidity is still coddled.

The original post said that it was a clerk- still unacceptable, in my opinion.

[TankerBug]

2 nurses at a san diego county hospital were terminated from their jobs for posting similar things on facebook... I personally think it is a violation of hippa...

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

I'm not an FB member, and if I were I'd only use it to communicate with my children and grandson. However, I do have various colleagues who are members, and I will speak to them about the kind of info they post asap! This is the second post regarding Facebook indiscretions that I have read on Allnurses in one week!

Hospital authorities might be well advised to issue specific warnings regarding the posting of information regarding their facilities and/or patients on the web. Nurses should be aware of such dangers because laws governing malpractice are part of their training, but the prohibitions regarding privacy must apply to all staff. It should be made clear enough so that none of them can plead ignorance.