Stories about compromised patient privacy
When a patient feels their privacy has been breached, it is extremely important to factor in the emotional impact this has on them. It isn’t limited to a breach of patient confidentiality – it can be a case of a waiting or consultation area not affording a patient a great deal of privacy. The below stories are about privacy being compromised in different ways that may be helpful to you.
Admission and subsequent rehabilitation (Crit 2)
Privacy after day procedure (Crit 3)
Breach of patient confidentiality (Crit 4)
Patient mix-up (Crit 4)
Patient has been identified internally
There are times when you will be able to identify the storyteller and/or patient simply because their unique circumstances are memorable. It can also be that you have received the same story/complaint directly. In the below stories, the storyteller and/or patient has been identified.
Read through to see how the responding officers have addressed this in their response.
Injury occurring on release from hospital (Crit 3)
ED (Crit 4)
Results from MRI report (Crit 5)
Responding to a loved one/friend when constrained by privacy laws
One of the trickier stories to respond to is when the person sharing the story is not the patient, and you need the patient’s consent to be able to speak to the storyteller. The response to the below story is an excellent example of how to manage this situation.
Missed bowel obstruction (Crit 4)