HospitalInspections.org

Based on staff interview and observation, it was determined the hospital failed to ensure each patient's privacy was maintained during triage in the emergency department in two (2) of two (2) observations conducted.

Findings:

During a tour of the emergency department (ED) on 7/5/2022 at 11:09 a.m., the surveyor observed a nurse triaging a patient in a wheelchair at the front desk in the ED waiting room. The surveyor observed the patient and the nurse at the desk and the surveyor could plainly hear the nurse asking the patient if the patient was suicidal or having suicidal thoughts. There was another patient in the waiting room closer to the patient than the surveyor.

Observations were again conducted in the ED waiting room at 1:50 PM on 07/06/22. Twenty-nine people were in the waiting room at the time of observation. The front desk is shared with the registration staff member and the triage nurse. At the time of observation a patient accompanied by two children was checking in with registration staff, several feet away at the same desk another patient was being triaged by the triage nurse. The patient being triaged was discussing his symptoms with the nurse and could be heard by the surveyor who was further away than the adjacent patient who was registering.

The surveyor observed Plexiglas in place between the hospital staff and the patients. The AVP of Emergency Services (staff member #7) confirmed the Plexiglas was put in place during COVID for infection control purposes. No other barrier or safeguards were observed between the triage and registration areas to decrease the likelihood of incidental disclosures of patients' personal medical information.

During an interview on 7/5/2022 at 11:10 a.m., Staff Member #7 stated that the front desk in the waiting room is the location where patients are triaged. When the surveyor expressed concerns about patients' privacy when being triaged, Staff Member #7 stated "we are working on that."

An interview was conducted with the AVP of Patient Safety (staff member #1) and staff member #7 at 07/06/22 at 2:00 PM. Staff Member #1 stated that the hospital is planning an ED expansion soon to help increase capacity and reduce issues with patient privacy concerns. Staff Member #7 stated that the triage nurse had relocated to the registration desk in January so that the triage nurse was able to visualize patients as they came in the doors of the ED.