HospitalInspections.org

Based on observation and interview the facility failed to ensure the privacy of the patient's location in the facility by:
- Displaying patient last name and room number in public view on a whiteboard behind the nurses' station on 89 Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Displaying patient last name in public view on 8400 ICU
- Displaying patient last name and physician team outside each patient room on an eight by eleven piece of white paper on the 83 ICU
- Displaying last name and room number on four flat screen monitors on the 56 ICU, placing the patients at risk for disclosure to the public of their presence in the facility.

The facility census was 905.

Findings Included:

1. Observation on 04/25/11 at 2:15 PM, showed a large white board with the patient's last name and room number visible to the public behind the nurses' station on the 89 ICU.

During an interview on 04/25/11 at 2:20 PM, Staff C, Registered Nurse (RN) Clinical Nurse Manager, verified the visibility of the board to the public and the visability of patient identification displayed on the board.

2. Observation on 04/26/11 at 2:15 PM, showed patient last names and physician team names written in large black print outside each patient room on the 83 ICU unit.

During an interview on 04/26/11 at 2:25 PM, Staff JJ, RN, Lead Charge Nurse, stated that this is how we verify patient names and process physician team assignments.





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3. Observation on 04/26/11 at 9:45 AM, on the 8400 ICU unit showed a flat electronic board approximately six feet long by four feet wide on a wall at the side of the nursing station. The full last names of the patients on this unit were written on this electronic board and were visible to the general public.

During an interview on 04/26/11 at 9:50 AM, Staff XX, Performance Improvement Staff, confirmed the full last names of the patients were on this electronic board and were visible to the general public.






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4. Observation on 04/27/11 at 9:30 AM, of the 56 ICU showed four large, approximately five feet long by three feet wide, flat screen monitors that revealed the patients full last name, the room number and bed in which the patient occupied. All four monitors were facing toward the corridor where visitors and the general public pass by.

During an interview on 04/27/11 at 9:30 AM, with Staff ZZ , 56 ICU Clinical Nurse Manager, he/she confirmed the corridor that the monitors were facing was toward the area that the visitors and general public pass by.