Is It Wrong to Look at Your Own Medical Info?

[jamonit]

Hi everyone.

Quick question...I work at the hospital where I recently had an MRI. Is it technically against most healthcare institutions' policy to pull up your own

chart on your work computer and read lab or MRI reports? I'm assuming

that it is, but it seems like it should be fair, being that it's your own info.

What do you all think?

Thanks:specs:

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

somon i know works regestering patients for tests. she is not even able to acess her own address and all of that. she needs to get the coworker who works with her area of the alphabet.

[BlueRidgeHomeRN]

i guess "wrong" is as your hospital says it is..

four years ago, i looked up not only results but followed my bill for surgery once a week! handy, but i guess not worth being fired over!

[Warpster]

It's always been OK at every hospital I've worked in, although looking up a co worker's or a patient who is not your own has not been, and that includes family members.

There were times that I worked in places where I have accessed a co worker's info, but that was back in the dark ages when some staff were not computer literate. I'd get them to the right page and tell them which line to click on and then look away. It was at their request and if my login code had been traced and the action challenged, I would have been backed up by the co worker.

Since I was usually the main geek, I was never questioned.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Yes it's against policy, and people have been fired at my hospital. You have to go through the traditional route of requesting your medical record just as any other patient has to do.

That amazes me. One would think they have bigger fish to fry than to fire an employee for looking at their own medical record.

Maybe I'm missing something here. In theory I understand the point, but to go so far as to fire someone, that amazes me.

I guess though if you looked up your own CT and it said something about "large metastic mass", it would be freaky and could lead to problems.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

That amazes me. One would think they have bigger fish to fry than to fire an employee for looking at their own medical record.

You would think so. But I've come to realize that there are a lot of higher ups with nothing to do.

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

When I worked for this one clinic, a "movie Star" was a patient and I knew s/he had an appt that day. So I hung out at my station and simply smiled and nodded tp this person. Was a very cool experience.

I would never dream of looking up the records.

And the clinic had tight security on this patient's access anyway.

I know I woudn't want someone looking at my records. I just think it's wrong.

[MikeyJ, RN]

What if a patient walked upto you one day and asked "could you pull up my medical information on your computer so I can look at it?"

You obviously would not let them because every hospital has a system in place where patients need to formally request for their medical records. Would it be a HIPAA violation if you let the patient look at their own medical records on the computer? Probably not. But it is against hospital policy and could potentially be reprimanded for it.

The same holds true for nurses who work in the hospital. When you went in for medical services, you were not on the clock as an employee.. you were simply another patient. Thus, there should be no "special" rules that allows you to bypass hospital policy of requesting your medical records.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I wouldn't be able to stop myself from looking I think.

I sure hope everything is benign for you!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Here in the frozen north this would be against hospital policy. It wasn't where I worked before I moved here, and I routinely tracked my son's labs (he's a liver transplant and former oncology patient). I usually saw them before his doc did, and would already have a good idea of what the plan would be. The docs were both absolutely fine with this and the hepatologist actually encouraged me to track things and draw labs when I felt they were warranted. He made sure I had a collection of specimen containers and phlebotomy supplies. It was great. Then I moved here, and because my son is now an adult (I have legal guardianship because he is severely cognitively impaired from cerebrovascular thromboses complicating his transplant) I have to continually plead for any kind of information. Now I have an arrangement with the clinic nurse that she'll email me his labs and any other reports right after she sees them. So far it's working well.

jamonit, I truly hope you aren't still waiting to know the results of your MRI. The not knowing is so excruciatingly difficult! And I hope that there's a much less horrible reason for your knee's lumpiness. Please let us know if we should rejoice with you!

[jlcole45]

Actually I'm not sure if it's wrong per say ethically, but it's against the rules

and you could get into big trouble - including being fired. So go through the proper channels

next time.

It's called confidentially - and you are improperly accessing information. It doesn't matter if it's your own records or your next door neighbor or a movie star. You are breaking the rules that have been put in place to protect all of our confidential records.

Didn't they tell you this during orientation or during your annual competency reviews? What sort of place are you working for?

Look up HIPAA. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and it applies to all health care facilities no matter what state you live in.

Be careful - every once in a while someone will get fired over this - just to set an example.

[twotrees2]

I'm thinking that seems to be pretty typical. I am just wanting to read my MRI report so badly...

I have a mass on my knee and they did an MRI with contrast, last minute, at the suggestion of the radiologist on call, to see if my "tumor lights up with contrast." I wasn't scheduled for that part of the exam and I'm thinking they found something of concern.....

I'm just really anxious to hear what I'm dealing with, worried about osteosarcoma.

i dont know that id want to look at my records before discusiing it with the doc- after i can see - but not before. reason being if something is wrong you wuold need support. id suggest get on the horn and tell doc you want the results - keep on em till ya get em.