A nurse is walking through a high-traffic unit hallway and observes a visitor looking closely at an unattended computer on wheels (COW). The screen is unlocked and displays an active electronic health record (EHR) belonging to a client. Arrange the following actions the nurse should take in the correct sequence, from first to last.
- 1Politely redirect the visitor away from the computer terminal.
- 2Lock the computer screen or log out of the active session.
- 3Report the exposure of protected health information to the charge nurse.
- 4Submit a formal incident report detailing the confidentiality breach.
Cevap
The nurse must first stop the active breach by redirecting the visitor, then secure the computer, notify unit leadership, and finally document the event in an incident report.
In the event of an active privacy breach under HIPAA regulations, the nurse's first priority is always to mitigate the immediate harm. This is achieved by physically blocking the unauthorized view (redirecting the visitor). The second step is to secure the source of the breach (locking the screen) to prevent recurrence. Third, the nurse must follow the chain of command by notifying the charge nurse, who will coordinate with the facility's privacy officer. Finally, the nurse must complete formal documentation (an incident or variance report) while the details are fresh, but only after the immediate threat has been neutralized.
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Anahtar Kavram
Confidentiality and Information Security