New nurse..recently started home health. Being videotaped?

caliotter3 · Oct 13, 2011

I refuse to work such cases. The fact that they were not up front and honest shows you their hidden agenda. Why play their game? Sooner or later the tape will show something that they will misconstrue when they are ready to show their cards.

paddler · Oct 13, 2011

I too, would refuse the case.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2011

We have a family doing that. And they're incredibly nuts.

RubyRN,CHPN · Oct 15, 2011

We had a family whose spouse had a non functioning camera on top of one of the china cabinet. I spotted it and asked her if it was running during one of my intermittant visits because I needed to know and sweared I would never go back if it was on. Her behavior was notorious with all her husband's team including the MD office. She would act sick and take to bed where she would hold court and run her minions from her bedroom while we took care of her spouse in the other room. I always made a point to call the MD office to discuss pt. related concerns from her home as I wanted her to see I was taking action re: concerns and not calling from my car, etc. I remember calling the MD office from her home one day and giving report directly to the physician about a concern. He raved about the completeness and accuracy of my report assessment skills, then he gave me orders for treatment. LOL. I later found out that pt's. spouse often listened in on extention phone on calls to MD office, etc. It was the running joke at the office. Dr's office staff no longer would take her calls or calls from staff and put them through directly to physician.

I do know at the hospice side of the agency a patient had 24h private agency care in addition to our hospice service. They did have a nanny cam. Our hospice team initiated a contract for care with the family (perhaps there were other events that led to this) requesting no taping of their staff, period, while in the home.

I am firm on picture taking while I am working and don't like my picture being taken without my permission and when I am doing a home safety eval during a visit, if I spot a nanny cam I always ask for what's it's purpose. We have no formal policy against taping of staff but it sounds like on occasion it has been a problem.

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · Oct 16, 2011

I have no problem with being taped, they are gonna catch me doing a good job and occasionally scratching my butt. I do have a problem with hidden cameras, there is a reason stores and other business have visible cameras, because they prevent crime. If someone is upfront about filming, or has visible cameras it's all good. Hidden cameras are usually used in gotcha games, I don't like them as much, However remember that cameras are unbiased whitness's they won't lie, and can help you in cases of crazy families. As someone who was accused of abuse, I would have paid any amout of money to have video evidence of my routine shift, would have saved a lot of time, money, and stress.

Isabelle49 · Oct 17, 2011

If it were my child, I might do the same thing. As a nurse, I wouldn't appreciate being taped. A lot in the news about abuse when parents are away. I have to side with the parents. If I had a child at home with continuous care and I had to work, I would be a nutcase.

floridanurse06 · Oct 17, 2011

Thank you for all the thoughts on this! :) I am still deciding what to do. I guess don't mind being taped but I would have preferred they let me know. I don't like the fact that they are being secretive about it. I heard yesterday that they have been going through nurses like crazy...I am sure this is why!

caliotter3 · Oct 17, 2011

Of course the cameras are why nurses are leaving the case. They would find compatible nurses a lot faster if they were honest, but there is a reason they are trying to keep the cameras a big secret.