A practical nurse (PN) works in an outpatient clinic. A coworker takes a selfie at the nursing station and posts it to a personal social media account. The PN notices that an electronic health record (EHR) screen is visible in the background of the photo, clearly displaying a client's full name and date of birth. The coworker states, 'My account is completely private, so only my friends can see it.' Which of the following actions should the PN take?
- Report the social media post to the clinic supervisor immediately.Cevap
- BAgree that the post is acceptable as long as the client's medical diagnosis is not visible.
- CAsk the coworker to delete the post and avoid reporting the incident to management.
- DDocument the details of the privacy violation in the client's electronic health record.
Cevap
The correct action is to report the social media post to the clinic supervisor immediately.
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), any unauthorized disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI), which includes a client's name and date of birth, is a legal violation. The practical nurse has an ethical and legal obligation to report this breach immediately to the facility's management or privacy officer. A social media account's private settings do not protect against HIPAA violations, as the information has still been disclosed to unauthorized individuals.
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Anahtar Kavram
Client Confidentiality and HIPAA Regulations