question about confidentiality in psych facility

[sereneintexas]

I work for a privately owned treatment center. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to go to another unit to help with an "uncooperative" patient. When I arrived the pt was not only not cooperating with the nurse on the unit but was being aggressive with the only MHW available. The pt was bleeding. I was left by the pt's nurse to help hold this aggressive pt who also attempted, without success, to bite me. To make a long story short - I was not told that this pt was in a contagious stage of hepatitis B. Later I found out that the nurse knew this and deliberately withheld this info from me as he was told by the infection control nurse according to HIPPA no one was to be given this info. Is this not an inaccurate interpretation of the HIPPA regulation? Shouldn't anyone who is caring for a pt with this diagnosis be given this info. After all, we are all bound by confidentiality. Am I confused or what?????

[treatetstreet]

OOOOOOOOH that makes me mad! Never trust that jerk again! Avoid him! He ABSOLUTELY should have told you. He could have said something to the effect of "HEY YOU KNOW WE ALWAYS PRACTICE UNIVERSAL PRECATIONS, RIGHT!" wink, wink wink wink. I have too many years in psych and ER. I gave up psych because THERE WAS NO BACKUP. Like you can glove, gown and mask yourself when these folks go off!

Final comment: Did the infection control nurse get fired for telling the primary this confidential info?

[Moses]

I believe that you shoul use the universal precaution for any situation
rather than blaem any body
but I agree with such information shall disclose no harm from that

[hppygr8ful]

I don't know where you work - but I have been doing inpatient psych for 3 years and info on a contagious disease including HIV status if known is on the cardex and shared in report. Everyone who might have direct access to a patient needs to know the infectious disease status. Hippa is designed so that private information isn't dessimated into the public. But you should have been informed so that you could protect yourself. We always glove when doing a takedown. No gowns though - they get in the way. Last July I was punched in face by an HIV positive patient. Luckily there was no exchange of body fliuds.

I myself have had my HIPPA rights violated when I was in alcohol rehab so I know how careful people have to be with protected information but info pertenent to a patients care must be shared among the treatment team.

Peace and Namaste

Hppy

[Moses]

I do agree with you
but this also according to the culture of a respected institution
You need to identify the frame of the confedentiality and to whome you can disclose it e.g. in our organization only we can disclose the patient private information to the treatment team members. May be it's not sense, but we have to think about patients' rights.
Once again it's very important as nurse to protect our self with the resources availabe and create a culture about the "STAFF RIGHTS"

Cheers up