The Case of the Wandering Eyes
Under federal law, health care patients have a right to privacy. This right includes the right to request that only specific health care providers have access to a patient’s records. In this case study, Nurse Summers has violated this celebrity patient’s privacy. I believe it would be prudent to discuss this violation with Nurse Summers. She should be reminded that the patient requested that only staff assigned to his or her room should enter. Nurse Summers should be informed that she has violated the HIPAA Privacy rule, which states that patients have rights over their health information (“The HIPAA Privacy Rule”). Since the patient did not authorize Nurse Summers to view his or her health information, Nurse Summers does not legally have the right to peruse the patient’s records. Nurse Summers may be curious about the patient, since he or she is a celebrity, but it is unprofessional of her to take advantage of her status as a nurse at the hospital where the patient is being treated.
The Case of the Confounded Colleague
As a government employee, Jared is legally prohibited from using controlled substances on or off the job. Yet, based on the changes that I have observed in Jared’s behavior and demeanor, I have good reason to believe that he has begun using drugs of some kind (perhaps marijuana). I believe that I am ethically obligated to step in, because on-the-job intoxication puts patient health and safety at risk. Examining this dilemma from the relationship lens, I believe the best course of action would be to talk to Jared to see if something is going on in his life that is causing him to turn to drugs (Baird & Niacaris, 2011). He may be falling into a depression, stressed from work, or having issues in his personal life, like a death in the family. I would tell him that I have noticed a change in his behavior and express my concern and my desire to help. I would finally ask him to try to maintain a more professional attitude at work. If he feels that he is unable to do that for the time being, I would ask him to remove himself from patient care voluntarily.
References
Baird, C. A., and Niacaris, J. M. (2011). Understanding the Ethical Lens Inventory. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from http://www.ethicsgame.com/Exec/Console/ELI%20Anaylsis.pdf
The HIPAA Privacy Rule. (2015, April 16). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from http://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/
