Might be a violation, maybe.

AcuteHD · Oct 2, 2015

I'm not a new nurse, I know this happens, I just thought it was a bit funny. I thought I made that clear early on.

Karou · Oct 2, 2015

I had to pause and really imagine twenty feet. That's a long distance. I would have to almost yell to have a conversation in the hallway that far away. That is unnecessary. If the doctors had been closer together, talking in some semi private way, I would believe that it was incidental exposure. But to be so far apart and yelling a patients name and sensitive information, I would think that could be considered a violation.

I am no expert but common sense says that was not necessary and if overheard by other patients, a violation of the discussed patients privacy.

I had a patient once whose family member was also in ICU at our hospital and not doing well. Can't imagine how bad that would be if that patient had heard others discuss their family member like that.

Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM · Oct 3, 2015

Not in any hospital I've worked at. Maybe I've just been fortunate enough to always work at facilities that take patient privacy very seriously.
And again, talking loudly to each other from 20 feet away in a patient hallway about a patient, using her full name is NOT incidental disclosure. I'm not sure why people keep insisting that it is.

Sorry, I disagree. 20 is how far you stand to read the eye chart. That's not a long distance by any means.

Yes, it's incidental. My living room is smaller.

AcuteHD · Oct 3, 2015

Your living room is smaller but, I assume, you can carry on a conversation with everyone hearing everything speaking at a normal volume. If you wanted to share something private with someone on the other end of your living room would you do it from where you are or move closer to the person you wanted to tell? I am surprised this has become an issue.

Karou · Oct 3, 2015

Your living room is smaller but, I assume, you can carry on a conversation with everyone hearing everything speaking at a normal volume. If you wanted to share something private with someone on the other end of your living room would you do it from where you are or move closer to the person you wanted to tell? I am surprised this has become an issue.

Exactly. If I were trying to tell someone across my living room (say, husband) that I had just purchased a birthday present for my daughter (who was on the couch) I would take that conversation elsewhere or get closer and talk quietly. Hallways are loud and from twenty feet away you would have to raise your voice for that person 20 feet away to hear. Anyone else around you would be able to hear as well.

It's not necessary to have a sensitive conversation that far apart in a hospital in a hallway.

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 7, 2015

Sorry, I disagree. 20 is how far you stand to read the eye chart. That's not a long distance by any means.
Yes, it's incidental. My living room is smaller.

Incidental disclosure is not about how large your living room is. It's about *UNAVOIDABLE* patient info disclosure in the act of doing your job. I.e. Bedside report in a semi-private room. Incidental disclosure does NOT include a conversation about a patient, 20 feet from each other, in a public hallway. Insist what you want, but you would be wrong.