patients family photographing your badge?

[melgrek]

Good Morning,

Issues on the floor at work with a patients family member. Pt can be difficult at times as far as refusing vs assessments meds etc. Waiting for placement. Management has been involved, notes documented by nursing & doctors. Family member may have her own pscy issues, (called an MD inappropriate name, telling staff to get out of room, raises voice for no reason accuses staff of lying about care given) but is now photographing nursing badges of the nurses that are caring for her mother. Our last names are on our badges, this makes me uncomfortable. Is this legal? Although this has not occured when I have cared for her.....just trying to prepare myself in case. Has this happened where you work?

[suni, BSN, RN]

I think I would call the head of hospital security and take this as a security risk, i think we should be protected just as PHI is protected for our patients. I am more then willing to give a patient my name and have in fact written my name down and the name of my manager if they have an issue they wish to discuss with her, but Iwould draw the line at photos

[leslie :-D]

While patients do have the right to know who is providing care for them, you also have rights. And one of those rights includes not being photographed without your permission..whether it's just your badge or not, you don't have to agree to it. I would definitely get risk managment involved and make sure they know you won't be agreeing to this if this family attempts it. I had a similar situation when a pt's family member tried to do this to me..I firmly told them no cameras were allowed and I wouldn't be allowing any photos to be taken.

while i am not certain about our legal rights, i would definitely notify risk mgmt or a dept that knows the law, and give them the heads up.

would also let nm/don know as well.

Turn your badge around before you go in that room. Or, cover up your last name with stickers on your badge.

again, i don't know the law, but it 'sounds' illegal...

that we cannot tamper with any apparatus that is supplied to us.

i'll tell you one thing though.

i'd be sticking my hand in front of that camera and then, find out my rights.

seriously...they best get that thing away from me.

leslie

[nicole109]

if you can't photograph a patient without their written consent, they shouldn't be photographing you (or your badge) without your written consent...i would start handing the family the consent forms, then see what they say =)

[shiccy]

Don't know if someone has said this or not, but our ID's have barcodes on them w/ the #'s at the bottom of our employee ID's. Our employee ID's are step one of being able to do things for getting into things such as getting into the Pixis (luckily we also use fingerprint ID as our double check, so it's not *as* bad b/c that's hard to duplicate), but many places have computerized charting. Because of this I would politely tell them that this is not acceptable due to HIPAA concerns. Many computer systems only require a password after this unique ID is used, which opens up not only the medical record of their loved one(s) but also to every patient past and present in your hospital system.

In no way, shape, or form is this acceptable. They may take down the information such as your first name, last initial, and home unit. This is all the identifiable information that is needed for them to be able to 'hunt you down' after their loved ones hospitalization. They do NOT need your employee identification number, and there's no way they'd be getting it from me, either.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

If it keeps them from escalating into some violent confrontation, have at it. She obviously has psych problems and that is her way to controlling the situation.

If it was possible, I'd probably let her take a pic of my rump too, just for the full effect.

[leslie :-D]

If it was possible, I'd probably let her take a pic of my rump too, just for the full effect.

don't forget to have the pic showing you pointing at the lipstick imprint on said rump.

leslie

[kayern]

I would call the legal department as I feel photographs should be taken with permission only. Hospital personnel can not photograph patients without permission so the same courtesy should be extended to health care providers.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

The point of wearing badges with our names on them is that clients are legally entitled to know who is caring for them, and what the credentials of those persons are. While I agree that someone photographing my badge would seem kinda creepy to me, is it really that different from them just writing down the information?

This sounds like an intimidation tactic.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

if someone were photographing my badge, that would make me pretty uncomfortable, too. while the patients do have a right to know who is taking care of them, they can obtain that information by asking the manager. if they're photographing your badge, it makes me think that for some reason they don't wish to go through the proper channels to obtain the information. and then i'd wonder why they wanted the information without actually asking for it.

i don't let people photograph me at work. if anyone does, i ask them to delete the photo. i've turned down news cameras more than once. i think i'd have to ask them not to take photographs of me or my badge, and would have to leave my badge either turned the wrong way or in my pocket when i was in that room.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

don't know if someone has said this or not, but our id's have barcodes on them w/ the #'s at the bottom of our employee id's. our employee id's are step one of being able to do things for getting into things such as getting into the pixis (luckily we also use fingerprint id as our double check, so it's not *as* bad b/c that's hard to duplicate), but many places have computerized charting. because of this i would politely tell them that this is not acceptable due to hipaa concerns. many computer systems only require a password after this unique id is used, which opens up not only the medical record of their loved one(s) but also to every patient past and present in your hospital system.

in no way, shape, or form is this acceptable. they may take down the information such as your first name, last initial, and home unit. this is all the identifiable information that is needed for them to be able to 'hunt you down' after their loved ones hospitalization. they do not need your employee identification number, and there's no way they'd be getting it from me, either.

i hadn't thought about the bar codes, but photographing them may well be the first step in trying to duplicate a badge so they can gain access to places they should have access to. that's a security risk!

[Batman25]

I didn't think about bar codes either. Definite security risk. Have you notified Risk Management about this issue? They need to know ASAP.

[sunnycalifRN]

The point of wearing badges with our names on them is that clients are legally entitled to know who is caring for them, and what the credentials of those persons are. While I agree that someone photographing my badge would seem kinda creepy to me, is it really that different from them just writing down the information?

I believe that you are correct. The patient is entitled to know our full name and credential. Now, obviously, not any other information. If the client is litigious and decides to bring a lawsuit, the lawyer will be able to get all this information and more when the medical records are subpoenaed.

In our unit, photography is not allowed but they can certainly ask for our full name and credentials and then write them down.