Which situation would be a priority for the nurse to intervene to protect patient privacy?

Which situation would be a priority for the nurse to intervene to protect patient privacy?

• A. A spouse asks for the patient’s HIV test results.
• B. Copies of diagnostic test results are found in the regular trash behind the nurse’s station.
• C. The charge nurse overhears a physician asking another physician not involved in the client’s care to look at a test result.
• D. A patient’s medical record is left unattended on a stretcher outside the radiology department.

Answer: (A)

Protecting patient confidentiality is the priority, especially with highly sensitive information like HIV status. When a spouse directly asks for the patient’s HIV test results, sharing that information would be an unauthorized disclosure and a breach of privacy. The nurse should politely explain that PHI can be shared only with the patient or with individuals whom the patient has authorized, and should offer to help the patient consider who, if anyone, is entitled to know and to obtain written consent if the patient wants to disclose. This upholds the patient’s autonomy and legal/ethical duty to keep medical information confidential. The other situations involve privacy lapses that should be addressed as well (securing and properly disposing of records, avoiding sharing results with someone not involved in the care, and ensuring information is only accessible to those authorized). However, they do not present an explicit, direct request for confidential information by a third party, which makes them less immediate threats to privacy than a direct request for HIV results.

Protecting patient confidentiality is the priority, especially with highly sensitive information like HIV status. When a spouse directly asks for the patient’s HIV test results, sharing that information would be an unauthorized disclosure and a breach of privacy. The nurse should politely explain that PHI can be shared only with the patient or with individuals whom the patient has authorized, and should offer to help the patient consider who, if anyone, is entitled to know and to obtain written consent if the patient wants to disclose. This upholds the patient’s autonomy and legal/ethical duty to keep medical information confidential.

The other situations involve privacy lapses that should be addressed as well (securing and properly disposing of records, avoiding sharing results with someone not involved in the care, and ensuring information is only accessible to those authorized). However, they do not present an explicit, direct request for confidential information by a third party, which makes them less immediate threats to privacy than a direct request for HIV results.