Author Question: The emergency department nurse manager observes one of his staff nurses reading the admission ... (Read 109 times)

jrubin · **on:** Jul 19, 2018

The emergency department nurse manager observes one of his staff nurses reading the admission history of a client being admitted to the psychiatric unit after an overdose.

The staff nurse was not assigned to nor involved in the client's care while the client was treated in the emergency department. The nurse manager knows that under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations: a. this is a violation of the client's privacy
b. the staff nurse has legal access to the record under the emergency care provisions
c. any health care provider working at the facility has legal access to any client's record
d. the nurse may read the record, but may not divulge its contents to anyone else

Question 2

The nurse working with a client in recovery from a serious illness or physical crisis would MOST need to teach:

a. the client how to pace him- or herself and activities
b. the client to get as much out of life as he or she can before dying
c. the family about the client's limitations
d. how to fill out the forms dealing with resuscitation versus no resuscitation

raenoj · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

A
The nurse manager knows that under HIPAA regulations, it is a violation of the client's privacy for a staff member to read the records, if the staff member is not involved with the care of the client. Conversely, HIPAA does not prevent sharing clinical information with persons who are providing care to an individual and have a clear need to know about the client.

Answer to Question 2

A
The nurse would most need to teach clients recovering from serious illnesses to pace themselves. The nurse must acknowledge the frustration the client is having and the risk of the client giving up. The emphasis should be on remaining active without increasing the risk of additional health problems. The nurse should also explain to the client the recovery process will take longer than either of them would like.