Pt's FB pictures of me

Published

I am a nursing student, and my dad is an ON/GYN. I recently helped him deliver a baby, and his pt took pictures of us and posted them on Facebook. I would like to have these pictures, as I hope to become a CNM, and would love to have a picture of my dad and me at my first delivery. (There are pics of us with and without the baby.)

Is it a HIPAA violation if I click on the "..." and save these pictures to my phone since she made them public on Facebook (we are not FB friends. I searched for her.) I really want these pictures, but want to have them legitimately. Thanks!

Specializes in Critical Care.
Purdue University page 26 and 27....http://www.nursing.purdue.edu/academics/undergraduate/handbook.pdf

That doesn't appear to have anything to with viewing publicly available information about someone.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Students have to abide by the policy and procedures of the clinical site. And while you may not be able to find what you are looking for in google to prove your point, it doesn't mean that they aren't there. Hospitals have strict social media policies and if students can't abide by them, the students and the school can be told not toco me back.

I'm looking for information to prove your point, not mine. If it's so common, it shouldn't be hard to find at least one example.

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I'm looking for information to prove your point not mine. If it's so common, it shouldn't be hard to find at least one example.[/quote']

Then look at hospital policies.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Then look at hospital policies.

Nothing there that I can find either.

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Nothing there that I can find either.

That was a quick search. Just because you can't find it on the internet doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We have a VERY strict social media policy at my hospital and it can result in termination if the policy is violated. It is the same with students. If a student (and I am a nursing student) violates the policy of the clinical site, we will not be allowed back. The hospital can then decide that they don't want the school participating in clinicals there anymore.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
That doesn't appear to have anything to with viewing publicly available information about someone.

This is about her using the name she got while being a student from a patient and downloading it to post her phone. THAT crosses the line as far as I'm concerned. But I am not the OP. I know the facility I worked for and the school I instructed for would discharge her.

Really in all honesty...If she wants to risk it go for it!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
That was a quick search. Just because you can't find it on the internet doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We have a VERY strict social media policy at my hospital and it can result in termination if the policy is violated. It is the same with students. If a student (and I am a nursing student) violates the policy of the clinical site, we will not be allowed back. The hospital can then decide that they don't want the school participating in clinicals there anymore.

I don't argue that you can get in a lot of trouble for violating a social media policy, I just can't find any evidence that viewing a patient's publicly available information violates any social media policy, whether it be reading a obituary or finding a picture of yourself taken by a patient (particularly when told by the patient they were posting it to facebook).

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I don't argue that you can get in a lot of trouble for violating a social media policy, I just can't find any evidence that viewing a patient's publicly available information violates any social media policy, whether it be reading a obituary or finding a picture of yourself taken by a patient (particularly when told by the patient they were posting it to facebook).

The trouble is that the ONLY way the OP knew about the pictures, and mind you the name of the patient-- is due to her clinicals. So it was not as if it happend by chance--she remembered the name, actively looked her up on social media.

Compliance officers have a field day with this stuff--We all sit for hours in continuing education about this stuff--mandatory meetings.....

Nursing students should be taught better, so they know better--but in this day and age of looking everyone up on the internet, is sorely lacking in prudent nursing action.

Once you leave the facility, one does not then do an internet search on the patients of the day. It is just wrong. Ethically questionable, definetely against most policies in most hospitals, and schools that I know of are cautioning everyone on the use of patient information other than for what is intended.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
The trouble is that the ONLY way the OP knew about the pictures, and mind you the name of the patient-- is due to her clinicals. So it was not as if it happend by chance--she remembered the name, actively looked her up on social media.

Compliance officers have a field day with this stuff--We all sit for hours in continuing education about this stuff--mandatory meetings.....

Nursing students should be taught better, so they know better--but in this day and age of looking everyone up on the internet, is sorely lacking in prudent nursing action.

Once you leave the facility, one does not then do an internet search on the patients of the day. It is just wrong. Ethically questionable, definetely against most policies in most hospitals, and schools that I know of are cautioning everyone on the use of patient information other than for what is intended.

There is a wealth of social media policy recommendations, ethicist consensus, privacy compliance advice, etc so if this is a commonly held rule it shouldn't be hard to find something that supports this.

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Standards FAQ Details | Joint Commission

The joint commission has reams on this very subject--clinical sites that are used by schools (or anyone else bringing non-licensed people into a facility need to:

"Take steps to ensure that patient rights are respected, including communication, dignity, personal privacy (RI.01.01.01, EPs 4, 5, and 7), and privacy of health information (IM.02.01.01, EPs 1 and 2)"

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Standards FAQ Details | Joint Commission

The joint commission has reams on this very subject--clinical sites that are used by schools (or anyone else bringing non-licensed people into a facility need to:

"Take steps to ensure that patient rights are respected, including communication, dignity, personal privacy (RI.01.01.01, EPs 4, 5, and 7), and privacy of health information (IM.02.01.01, EPs 1 and 2)"

That's great and all but doesn't refer to viewing publicly available information.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

If reading an obituary is some sort of violation, surely there should be at least one example of this practice being banned or where someone was disciplined for doing so.

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