Management of Care Q 33
A 37-year-old male client was admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) 2 days ago with acute myocardial infarction. Which of the following actions would breach the client’s confidentiality?
A. The CCU nurse gives a verbal report to the nurse on the telemetry unit before transferring the client to that unit.
B. The CCU nurse notifies the on-call physician about a change in the client’s condition.
C. The emergency department nurse calls up the latest electrocardiogram results to check the client’s progress.
D. At the client’s request, the CCU nurse updates the client’s wife on his condition.
Correct Answer: C. The emergency department nurse calls up the latest electrocardiogram results to check the client’s progress
The emergency department nurse is no longer directly involved with the client’s care and thus has no legal right to information about his present condition.
Option A: Anyone directly involved in his care (such as the telemetry nurse) has the right to information about his condition.
Option B: The on-call physician should be updated about the client’s condition.
Option D: Because the client requested that the nurse update his wife on his condition, doing so doesn’t breach confidentiality.