MedicPrincess
Forum Deputy Chief
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Ok...not sure this is the right spot, but I don't think I ever posted in this area, so I choose it
We just had a HUGE Privacy Act violation at the ER I work in. There were to people being registered for similar conditions - "I think I am in Labor." I was the registrar on one lady, I will call Patient A and another girl had Patient B. Well Patient B was finished before Patient A and sent on her merry way. The girl registering Patient B some how decided it would be ok to lean over and begin a converstion with Patient A ABOUT Patient B - her name, her symptoms, her due date, and the number of babies she was carrying. In the most tactful way I could, I kept interrupting, until finally I had to stand up and take her out of the room so to speak. So, anyway, there is the big uproar about it at our facility....and that got me to thinking...
When 911 activates they dipatch the appropriate units to where they need to be (obviously). Now our dispatches will go something like this "Sta 17, Med 101, Delta Response to 123 Smith Street for Difficulty Breathing.” Once the first Fire Unit gets in service, or as soon as practical – depending on the call- they will proceed with patient information – something like “Sta 17, Med 101 your responding to a 50 y/o F, c/o Diff Breathing. Patient is turning color, clammy, dizzy, ect” whatever they find pertinent, including whether or not Sheriff’s Department in en route (for suicide attempts, assaults, OD’s, ect).
Now everyone knows most of the county has scanners. Is there a better way, perhaps a digital pager system that your departments use? It would seem that this could get to be a huge liability for our systems if we go to say 123 ABC street for a suicide attempt, or assault, or even a regular difficulty breathing call and the people at 121 ABC street have a scanner and now the whole neighborhood knows that the people at 123 ABC street have problems.
I am sure this has been discussed all over the place. How do we protect the privacy of those calling 911 when the call has to be dispatched some how? Do any of you have a preset list of Signal codes, or 10 codes, for the type of call? How much patient info over the air is to much in the initial dispatch? I would say the only the “FORBIDDEN” is stating over the air a patient is HIV/HEP or any other disease positive. They cannot say that, at all, even if the patient volunteers it. Instead they use a Signal 99.
We just had a HUGE Privacy Act violation at the ER I work in. There were to people being registered for similar conditions - "I think I am in Labor." I was the registrar on one lady, I will call Patient A and another girl had Patient B. Well Patient B was finished before Patient A and sent on her merry way. The girl registering Patient B some how decided it would be ok to lean over and begin a converstion with Patient A ABOUT Patient B - her name, her symptoms, her due date, and the number of babies she was carrying. In the most tactful way I could, I kept interrupting, until finally I had to stand up and take her out of the room so to speak. So, anyway, there is the big uproar about it at our facility....and that got me to thinking...
When 911 activates they dipatch the appropriate units to where they need to be (obviously). Now our dispatches will go something like this "Sta 17, Med 101, Delta Response to 123 Smith Street for Difficulty Breathing.” Once the first Fire Unit gets in service, or as soon as practical – depending on the call- they will proceed with patient information – something like “Sta 17, Med 101 your responding to a 50 y/o F, c/o Diff Breathing. Patient is turning color, clammy, dizzy, ect” whatever they find pertinent, including whether or not Sheriff’s Department in en route (for suicide attempts, assaults, OD’s, ect).
Now everyone knows most of the county has scanners. Is there a better way, perhaps a digital pager system that your departments use? It would seem that this could get to be a huge liability for our systems if we go to say 123 ABC street for a suicide attempt, or assault, or even a regular difficulty breathing call and the people at 121 ABC street have a scanner and now the whole neighborhood knows that the people at 123 ABC street have problems.
I am sure this has been discussed all over the place. How do we protect the privacy of those calling 911 when the call has to be dispatched some how? Do any of you have a preset list of Signal codes, or 10 codes, for the type of call? How much patient info over the air is to much in the initial dispatch? I would say the only the “FORBIDDEN” is stating over the air a patient is HIV/HEP or any other disease positive. They cannot say that, at all, even if the patient volunteers it. Instead they use a Signal 99.