"friend" of patient asks to see him

caliotter3 · Sep 17, 2011

I would ask the patient, if the patient is in shape for a visitor, after directing the visitor to the waiting room (so they couldn't see which room I approached). When reading the title to this thread, I immediately thought of someone using this as a ruse to go into the patient's room and assassinate the patient! Too much TV!

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2011

I'm not sure whay your facility is like, but at mine, all the visitor has to do is go to the security desk and ask for the patient they want to see. Security will tell them what floor/room they are in. A patient has a right to visitors and you aren't disclosing any health information by allowing the person to visit.

Simply say, "Let me go check if Mr. X is accepting visitors at the moment. Can I have your name?" Then go to the room and inform the patient that the visitor is here and ask if they would like the person to come in. Or, like another post suggested, ask them to wait in the waiting room and you will get them when the patient is ready for a visitor.

Kiddo87 · Sep 17, 2011

Security will tell them what floor/room they are in. A patient has a right to visitors and you aren't disclosing any health information by allowing the person to visit.

one more thing! in my studies, i've also read that even letting the person know that the patient is being treated there at all is a violation of confidentiality.

I don't understand. how is a person supposed to visit a friend? is there some sort of person or department you have to speak with before entering the floor?

-thanks again for the helpful replies :up:

sandyfeet · Sep 18, 2011

I think what you are referring to is when people call a facility to see if someone they know is there. We were taught answering would be a violation because you are disclosing that they are being treated for something. But if someone is physically there and asks to see their friend, I don't think it's a violation. In my area, there are several major hospitals and it would be a major coincidence for a friend to pick the correct hospital and correct floor. Of course, it's always a good idea to see if the patient wants visitors!

SnMrsSmiley · Sep 18, 2011

even acknowledging that a patient is in fact in the facility is a violation of HIPPA. If a patient wants visitors then he/she must call that person himself and give the room number information. If the patient is not able to speak or communicate then the "friend' has to rely on family to get the room information. Its a fine line and can be very confusing but it is what it is.

ckh23, BSN, RN · Sep 19, 2011

even acknowledging that a patient is in fact in the facility is a violation of HIPPA. If a patient wants visitors then he/she must call that person himself and give the room number information. If the patient is not able to speak or communicate then the "friend' has to rely on family to get the room information. Its a fine line and can be very confusing but it is what it is.

If it was against HIPAA, don't you think hospitals would have eliminated the practice of allowing anyone into the hospital to visit? How would a mother get in to see her critically ill, intubated son that was ejected out of a car and now has a catheter draining CSF out of his head? He obviously wouldn't be able to call her.

SnMrsSmiley · Sep 19, 2011

because his mother would be next of kin unless he is married then his wife would be next of kin. And whoever is his emergency contact would be allowed to know he was in the facility. like i said "fine line" all I know is that if someone calls and you tell them yes "so and so " is on floor blah blah then you have violated hippa. thats what I was taught and tested on anyway. If im wrong then thats fine too Iv already tested on that and passed it so Im not as concerned with it until im in the facility working lol

SnMrsSmiley · Sep 19, 2011

aha i didnt point out a very important step in my first post. It is a violation of HIPPA if the patient has requested to not be named as a current patient. Its a no fly zone of sorts. I cant remember the exact term for it. But if the patient chooses this option then his name must not appear anywhere in the records except for his chart and unless he puts a specific friend or relative on a list then they cannot be informed of his presence there.

so in the case of the mothers son who flew through the windshield and is currently unconscious, he would not have been able to choose total privacy.

damn i just confused myself in all that. I really wish i could remember what its called. Now i wont be able to sleep untill i find my old notes lol

rocket surgery · Sep 19, 2011

I volunteered at a hospital info desk for a while. We had a list of currently admitted patients with their locations. If someone called or came by asking for "Jane Doe," I could tell them where she was located. Some patients had asterisks next to their name, meaning we couldn't give out any information regardless of who asked for it. These patients were usually victims of domestic violence or gang violence. Finally, for high-profile patients, their names weren't on the list at all.

Regardless of whether you were famous or not, if you were admitted, you could request that your name be taken off the list.

SnMrsSmiley · Sep 19, 2011

yes that list is what i was referring to! but there is a word for a patient that doesnt want to be on the list at all.... and for the life of me i cant remember it grrrr

Kiddo87 · Sep 19, 2011

I appreciate all the replies. Indeed, confidentiality is a fine line and HIPPA can make it all that more confusing. We don't want to be reprimanded as nurses, yet we wouldn't want to keep a mother from seeing her son.

how can we tell if someone is who they say they are? is it too much to ask to see their ID?

can an uncle or aunt be able to see their nephew without difficulty? or going through all these loopholes?

what if something bad were to happen to the patient? of course we would be liable as nurses, but could the security guard or nurses' station secretary also be at fault?

hmmm...