Which action requires intervention to protect patient confidentiality in a care setting?

Which action requires intervention to protect patient confidentiality in a care setting?

• A. Paging a client by last name to return to therapy.
• B. Sharing a password with a coworker.
• C. Showing a client his electronic health record.
• D. Logging off the computer before leaving the nurse's station.

Answer: (A)

Protecting patient confidentiality means preventing anyone who isn’t authorized from learning a patient’s identity or health information. Calling a patient in a public area by their full last name publicly reveals who that person is and can also disclose why they’re there or what they’re receiving care for. That kind of public identification increases the chance that bystanders will overhear or see sensitive information, which is not appropriate in most care settings. Because this action exposes identifying information, it needs intervention and a change to a more discreet method of notifying the patient, such as using a room number, a patient ID, or a discreet paging system. The other actions either support privacy or are standard security practices. Sharing a password with a coworker is a direct breach of access control and requires immediate correction. Logging off the computer before leaving the nurse’s station helps prevent others from accessing private information. Showing a patient their own electronic health record is appropriate for patient access and understanding of their care, as long as privacy is preserved and screen exposure to others is minimized.

Protecting patient confidentiality means preventing anyone who isn’t authorized from learning a patient’s identity or health information. Calling a patient in a public area by their full last name publicly reveals who that person is and can also disclose why they’re there or what they’re receiving care for. That kind of public identification increases the chance that bystanders will overhear or see sensitive information, which is not appropriate in most care settings. Because this action exposes identifying information, it needs intervention and a change to a more discreet method of notifying the patient, such as using a room number, a patient ID, or a discreet paging system.

The other actions either support privacy or are standard security practices. Sharing a password with a coworker is a direct breach of access control and requires immediate correction. Logging off the computer before leaving the nurse’s station helps prevent others from accessing private information. Showing a patient their own electronic health record is appropriate for patient access and understanding of their care, as long as privacy is preserved and screen exposure to others is minimized.