http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7137559
Wow, be very careful. HIPAA issues have been big for a while now, but I think things are only going to get more problematic.
As student nurses and experienced nurses, most of us at one time or another, along with the medical staff, respiratory, pharmacy, and social worker staff reviewed charts for interesting things in order to learn. I know at one children's hospital I worked in, they get all kinds of unusual genetic cases that we all took the opportunity to learn from. I am wondering how this will be possible in the same way after news releases like this really kick in all over.
I suppose this will make this kind of clinical learning more difficult. There are times that cases you are assigned to are not as interesting as other cases. You have to seize the opportunity to learn.
Of course this issue is a little extra special, since the resident that was a patient (who has just as much right to privacy as anyone else, period) also worked in that particular hospital and the family stipulated that her information be strickly contained and limted. Surely people just wanted to go through her information our mere curiosity--and that is a big no, no. But as things get tighter and tighter on these kinds of issues, how will it affect things when it comes to learning.
In general, nowadays, what they tell you is "If you have no bonafide reason to look at something--such as someone's chart, etc, just don't." That's fine with me, except I am wondering how this will affect learning oppotunities--especially at teaching facilities.
Wow, be very careful. HIPAA issues have been big for a while now, but I think things are only going to get more problematic.
As student nurses and experienced nurses, most of us at one time or another, along with the medical staff, respiratory, pharmacy, and social worker staff reviewed charts for interesting things in order to learn. I know at one children's hospital I worked in, they get all kinds of unusual genetic cases that we all took the opportunity to learn from. I am wondering how this will be possible in the same way after news releases like this really kick in all over.
I suppose this will make this kind of clinical learning more difficult. There are times that cases you are assigned to are not as interesting as other cases. You have to seize the opportunity to learn.
Of course this issue is a little extra special, since the resident that was a patient (who has just as much right to privacy as anyone else, period) also worked in that particular hospital and the family stipulated that her information be strickly contained and limted. Surely people just wanted to go through her information our mere curiosity--and that is a big no, no. But as things get tighter and tighter on these kinds of issues, how will it affect things when it comes to learning.
In general, nowadays, what they tell you is "If you have no bonafide reason to look at something--such as someone's chart, etc, just don't." That's fine with me, except I am wondering how this will affect learning oppotunities--especially at teaching facilities.
