Clinical Support Team Members – Into To Case Scenarios

The following is designed for Clinical Support team members.

These scenarios will help you make practical decisions when you’re in a situation where someone’s privacy or confidentiality might be compromised.

Read them and choose the answer that makes sense to you. A pop-up will explain why your answer is correct or incorrect.

Scenario 1

You work in a busy clinic where “no-shows” have been a problem. You decide to start calling patients the day before to remind them of their appointment.

What things should you remember when you are making the call – choose the most appropriate response:

Do not identify that you are calling from the hospital clinic unless the patient is on the phone.
Call more than once to avoid leaving a message on an answering machine.
If you need to leave a message – do not mention any personal health information. Simply leave a generic one, e.g. this is Linda at TDMH, could you please call me back at (phone number).
All of the above

View Answer

The correct response is: “All of the above”

Only identify yourself when the patient is on the phone. Call more than once to avoid leaving a message on the answering machine. If you must leave a message, leave a generic one.

Example: “This is Sue at AHI. Please call me at (phone number).”

Scenario 2

An individual calls your area indicating they are a relative of Mrs. Daisy Duck. They inquire whether she has been admitted.

Do you provide the information?

Yes – The presence or absence of an individual is not considered confidential

No – This is confidential and private information

The presence or absence of an individual in the hospital is not considered confidential, unless you have reason to believe the patient does not want this information shared. The electronic patient record allows team members to see the expressed wishes of patients in this regard.

Modifications of the electronic patient record will show you more detail in the future.

Scenario 3

You are a communications clerk in Medical Imaging. You are in the examination room where a patient has just had their tests completed and is waiting to return to their room.

An individual – dressed in what appears to be a nurse’s uniform – enters the room and approaches the patient. You gather by their conversation that he is the husband of the patient’s business colleague.

After a brief talk, he walks over to the desk, opens the patient’s health record and begins to read it.

What do you do?

Do nothing, the individual seems to know the patient.

Ask the individual who he is and by what authority he is looking at the health record

View Answer

The correct response is: “Ask the individual”

Ask the individual who he is and by what authority he is looking at the patient’s health record. Unless he is part of the care team that is working for the patient, he has no authority to be accessing the record.

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