Question

A nurse is entering a pharmacy request for patient medication in the patient's electronic health record (EHR) while seated at a computer in the nursing station. A physician approaches her and asks her to access another patient's EHR so that he can look at the patient's laboratory report. Which of the following is the best action for the nurse to take?

1) Access the lab report for the physician.
2) Log off the computer before proceeding.
3) Quickly finish the pharmacy requisition before the physician logs on.
4) Allow the physician to access the laboratory report without logging out.

Answer 1

The nurse should log off the computer to ensure patient confidentiality and that the physician accesses another patient's EHR with their own login credentials, thus keeping with healthcare privacy policies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best action for the nurse to take is to log off the computer before the physician proceeds. It is crucial for healthcare providers to maintain patient confidentiality and follow proper protocol when accessing electronic health records (EHR). The nurse should log off to ensure that the physician accesses the other patient's EHR using their own credentials, preserving the security and integrity of patient information.

Healthcare institutions have strict policies for accessing patient information to protect privacy and comply with laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). By logging off, the nurse prevents unauthorized access to the first patient's information and ensures that the EHR system accurately records who accessed the second patient's records. Logging off also discourages the physician from using another provider's credentials, which is a serious breach of policy and compromises patient privacy.