Patients Filming You

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

I'm seeing this more and more. 

I totally understand a patient/patient family wanting to protect themselves and/or their family from incompetence. 

Im pretty sure our hospital has a policy against this. However, people are sneaky, it's important to build a rapport, and accusing people of filming you after they have denied it could lead to more problems for everyone. 

Just wandering what everyone else thinks about this.

Have you ever seen a nurse show up on a video in social media kind like how we see these videos of teachers?

mmc51264 said:

YES! Almost every time we have an issue with someone surreptiously recording or filming us, it is not for good. It's the "you're late with my meds (the PRN pain meds)" issues with visitors (victims of violence have strict policies for a reason). We've been threatened that "my homies are gonna get you" or something like that if they don't get their way. 

We have a 75-80% trauma population and get a lot of VOV. We finally got our last names off of our badges. 

I'm really glad your full names are off your badges and that your safety is being taken a bit more seriously! For god sakes, we nurses are entitled to be safe at work.

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Specializes in Community health.
CaffeinePOQ4HPRN said:

It varies province to province as healthcare is provincially mandated in Canada. For example, in Ontario personal health information falls under PHIPA. Legislation is specific to each province. Thus, the laws vary province to province. 

I mean, of course each province varies, as do each of our states. 

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
Asystole RN said:

Personally I have no problem with it as I have nothing to hide and often times it reassures the patient. I have actually used the patient's own recordings for educational purposes. 

I have nothing to hide. I still don't want to be filmed. Especially in this day and age of digital shenanerganery when its easy as to take my face and stick it on who knows which body

Patients have rights, nurses have rights. All our hospitals have signs up saying that filming of healthcare staff is not allowed and pushing of the former may result in security and police being involved

I have no issues if the patient wants an escort, I may bring one in myself. 

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

In private duty home nursing, it is not unusual to have a nursery video monitor trained on the child. In some case, an actual closed circuit camara is mounted on the wall. This is so the parents can keep an eye on their child - especially when their child is alone and cannot call for help. So, naturally, the nurse is on video, too. 

In a private home, I'm OK with this. In a hospital, it's not OK.

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Specializes in LTC & Rehab Supervision.

Let me put it in perspective for anyone working a regular job, not even nursing related:

Would someone working in a regular office be okay with the public watching them do their job, against their will? A common man doing a common 9-5 job, watching their every move, watching for slip ups and mistakes? Being afraid to do something or say something wrong and be reprimanded or even fired for every tiny thing you do or say?

No? Exactly the point here, folks.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

Sometimes my patients or families want to film me when doing ostomy teaching or some wound care stuff. I guess not so much me but what I'm doing. But that's about it. 

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This is kinda like a double-edged sword situation. I'm against filming of employees by patients and visitors like someone said here, you don't know where your image may end up (paraphrasing here). In some nursing homes there will be a sign on the patient door alerting us there is video recording in the room. I appreciate the advance notice before I go in. My thing is this, if their is a roommate in the room the camera is picking up on that person information potentionally violating their right to privacy of not being recorded even if it's just catching conversation between the nurse and patient. In nursing homes I totally understand why a person may want to record, but on the other hand is it violating the privacy of that patient's roommate who does not consent?

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Asystole RN said:

I've been recorded many times at the bedside, most of the time purely for interest since they or a friend/family member wanted to watch me insert their PICC or whatever. 

Personally I have no problem with it as I have nothing to hide and often times it reassures the patient. I have actually used the patient's own recordings for educational purposes. 

This implies that those who refuse to be filmed are fearful or have something to hide.  People have a right not be filmed just because they don't want to be filmed.  No assumptions need to be made over this.

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I just say "I'll come back when there is no recording".

And it's not 'filming'...there is no film...

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Lynker said:

Let me put it in perspective for anyone working a regular job, not even nursing related:

Would someone working in a regular office be okay with the public watching them do their job, against their will? A common man doing a common 9-5 job, watching their every move, watching for slip ups and mistakes? Being afraid to do something or say something wrong and be reprimanded or even fired for every tiny thing you do or say?

No? Exactly the point here, folks.

I see the parallel here but the problem is the thought that nursing is a common job. There is a reason why we have to be licensed. If you are a licensed professional who is serving the public, especially in a extraordinary capacity dealing with vulnerable populations, I think that population has every right to film you. 

Its not a random person filming you. It is the person who you are serving, the person vulnerable to you.

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DeeAngel said:

This implies that those who refuse to be filmed are fearful or have something to hide.  People have a right not be filmed just because they don't want to be filmed.  No assumptions need to be made over this.

Technically no, no you do not have that right and you are constantly being filmed and it is 100% legal. 
You especially lose the right to privacy when interacting with the public, especially when you voluntarily approached the public and requested at great effort to have a license to serve them. 
Sorry if I implied any wrongdoing, that was not the intent. 

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Dy-no-mite Nurse1 said:

This is kinda like a double-edged sword situation. I'm against filming of employees by patients and visitors like someone said here, you don't know where your image may end up (paraphrasing here). In some nursing homes there will be a sign on the patient door alerting us there is video recording in the room. I appreciate the advance notice before I go in. My thing is this, if their is a roommate in the room the camera is picking up on that person information potentionally violating their right to privacy of not being recorded even if it's just catching conversation between the nurse and patient. In nursing homes I totally understand why a person may want to record, but on the other hand is it violating the privacy of that patient's roommate who does not consent?

The entity violating privacy is the facility which is forcing the patient to share a room. If the roommate can hear and see what is going on the right to privacy was already and continuously violated, the camera has no bearing on that privacy violation. 

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