Did you know that all patients have a right to privacy? While most of the time this is referring to private health information, it’s also important to consider patients’ privacy when they’re in the hospital.
Being in the hospital puts patients in a vulnerable position. They don’t want other people to see them when they’re not at their best, but how can you make sure that you’re prioritizing their privacy?
Read on for a few tips for maintaining patient privacy.
1. Keep Staff Well-Trained
The most important thing that you can do for hospital privacy is to make sure that your team is well-trained. They need to know the ins and outs of patient privacy both in the hospital and with their personal health information.
Privacy breaches can lead to HIPAA non-compliance, which can lead to fines and poor patient satisfaction.
Privacy training should be a priority, and not just when you’re onboarding new team members.
2. Prioritize Private Rooms
If possible, keep all patients in private rooms. There’s nothing that compares to having a room with walls, even if a patient is only there for a brief visit.
It’s not uncommon for patients to share rooms, but in this situation, it’s almost impossible to maintain patient privacy. Many patients feel uncomfortable having other people within earshot, especially if those people are visitors rather than other patients.
If you don’t have enough private rooms, make sure that you have thick room dividers and a reliable medical curtain track to keep patients separate. It’s not a perfect solution, but it will make a difference in overall patient happiness.
3. Make Room Numbers Obvious
This is something that many people don’t think about until it’s too late.
When patients have visitors, front desk staff tell those visitors what room number to look for. Visitors can spend ages wandering the halls to find the right room, and in some cases, they may accidentally walk in on a stranger because the rooms are poorly labeled.
Make sure that room numbers are large and clear. It’s a good idea to have plenty of signage to point visitors in the right direction as well.
4. Ask Patients If They Want Visitors
When visitors come to see their loved ones, it’s tempting to send them right along to the patients. Why wouldn’t the patient want to see a friend or family member when they’re all alone?
Ideally, visitors will have spoken to patients before arriving, but this isn’t always the case. They may be there to surprise the patient, but the patient may not want that surprise.
Before sending visitors to the patient’s room, ask the patient if they want visitors so you can maintain their privacy.
Patient Privacy Should Be Your Priority
Never underestimate the importance of patient privacy. Not only can you run into HIPAA concerns if you make a wrong move, but you’ll also make your patients unhappy. If you want to provide the best possible service, keep your patients comfortable.
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