Question

A man who received severe facial injuries in a motor vehicle crash arrives in your emergency room (ER). He is unable to communicate. No next of kin has come with him. A woman calls in distress and asks if her husband is a patient in your ER. She provides you with details that match the information on the man's identification. You believe she is the wife of the man with the facial injuries. Can you tell this woman that he is in the ER?

Answer 1

When a person with severe facial injuries is unable to communicate and a potential family member calls, hospital staff may only confirm the presence of the individual in the emergency room after following privacy and security protocols.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an individual with severe facial injuries from a motor vehicle crash arrives in the emergency room and is unable to communicate, and subsequently a woman calls in seeking information about her husband, the information you may share can be sensitive and must be handled according to hospital policies which complies with health privacy laws, such as HIPAA in the United States. Generally, you are able to confirm if a person is at the facility but may be restricted from giving detailed information over the phone without verifying the caller's identity. In practice, hospital staff would likely take the caller's contact information and then attempt to verify the relationship and ensure privacy and security protocols are followed before disclosing patient information.