Walking Report and HIPPA

[rntg]

Do any of you have experience with walking report? I was floated to another unit yesterday where they have instituted this. (We still use taped report on our unit) While I understand the premise, I am not sure how this can coincide with HIPPA. I met the nurse going on shift at the patients room, which was semi private. We are in front of the door, and she proceeds to give me report on the patients in the room, within easy earshot of anyone in the hall or patient room. We are not the only ones in the hall. There are 4-5 other sets of nurses doing the same thing. Lots of information being passed around. Later int he shift one of my male patients mentioned to me that he thought he might have bone cancer, because he heard someone mentioning it in the hall talking. This was not him, but another patient that was newly diagnosed. I just have a bad feeling about giving that type of information in the hall, we give alot of information during report, some that is not meant to be heard by patients and their families. The other thing I did not like was not knowing what was going on on the floor around me, in case of an emergency, or question asked by doctor or family member. I guess it is old school, but I was always taught and still believe, that is good knowing what is going on with other patients and nurses around you in case of an emergency or other thing that might come up. I guess I just don;t like the thought of walking report, I hope our unit does not institute it.

[BabyRN2Be]

I would definitely see that as a HIPAA violation. Have you posted this question to your NM?

I was in a hospital where they did walking report. I felt it was an invasion of privacy, and this was LONG before HIPAA!

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I was in a hospital where they did walking report. I felt it was an invasion of privacy, and this was LONG before HIPAA!

That's the thing about HIPAA. People get really excited about it, like it revolutionized the way we practice, but in reality, 95% of that stuff should have been common sense to us even before they made it law.

[rntg]

I would have felt this way long before HIPAA also, but what HIPAA has done is make people more aware of this. I just felt really uncomfortable giving and receiving report this way. I asked some of the nurses on the floor about this, and they seemed uncomfortable about it also, but their nurse manager was all for it.

[rninme]

I can remember giving walking rounds with the Docs at the last hospital I worked at. That was before Hippa. Nurse to Nurse report was always given in the report room.

At the hospital I work at now....some of the Docs sit in on Change of shift report....actually works out pretty well.

[MackNJacks mom]

We give/get report at the nurse's station. I know there are some nurses who don't even think about who is listening to their report, because they just wanna go home. I try to stop or lower my voice if anyone might be listening, but as someone else said that should be common sense anyway for us. Patients and their families definately seem to want to know what is going on with other kids on the unit. There are alot of families who don't know that we can't tell them or let them hear, especially us with all the DFACS stuff we see.

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

We are supposed to give walking report due to safety concerns but this compromises confidentiality. I am struck by how often this happens. No pt names outside the rooms now and although we check ID bracelets before any care, information is usually communicated according to room #, as in "Rm 3 is on a regular diet". Trouble is, turnover is so fast that "Room 3" an hour later could be a patient on aspiration precautions with severe food allergies...the list goes on.

Back to the problem of report; mostly given at the nurse's station, then oncoming and off-going go into pt's room to"eyeball" IV's and any specific issues.

[NurseKittyAtlanta]

I too would be concerned about patient confidentiality in this situation. Have you brought this to the attention of management? One thing that was always drilled into our heads in nursing school was "just because something has always been done a certain way does not make it right." I would definitely speak up if I were in this situation.

[twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN]

We have walking report, and technically we arn't supposed to do any reports in the hallway. We are to go to each bedside, give the meat and potatoes, look at IV's, foleys, dressings, and keep the rest to a minimum. Especially stuff about newly diagnosed cancer or other sensitive information.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I was in hospital earlier this year and by the end of my stay I knew more about most of the patients than the staff did. Apparently patients are sometimes supposed to be deaf and dumb to anything that doesn't apply. A dear man in the room near mine got a really bad GI bug and from across the unit you could hear "Well G. you messed yourself up again." It was really embarrassing. This wasn't in my hospital.

We (where I last worked) did written report-off going RN of a team (10) to oncoming team-all next shift team. The the two RN's would go on hello rounds to see everyone on a team and check IV's etc. Report in total never took over 10 minutes with an extra 5 to pass on the written.

[ICURN_NC]

We do face-2-face reports outside the rooms (I work in an ICU), and then we are supposed to go inside to double check gtts, etc. All of our rooms are private and we ask visitors to leave during change of shift.

This isn't foolproof, of course, and we'll find visitors (who never left), etc straining to hear us. Also, often, visitors meet and get to know each other in the waiting room, so I've run into alot of "Is XXXX going to be ok? His mom is so nice" or "I hope that girl gets that transplant she needs." I'm usually caught off guard, thinking they've been listening in (whereas they probably heard from the waiting room), then I tell them that I cannot discuss other pts.

[kelbell423]

Hello everyone, new member here! :w00t:I need some help. We currently do walking report on our postpartum unit. In our Unit-Based practice council meeting, where I am a member, I volunteered to do some research about walking report. I would like some information about advantages, disadvantages and what improvements can be made. However, I am striking out with my internet search. Is there anyone out there that can give me some other resources with information:idea: