Ms. Kasturi Agarwal, an 8-year-old child, recovered and got discharged from the hospital after an accident. At the time of discharge, the police requested a copy of the hospital records. The nurse's action will be to:

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg officer-2023

Explanation

The nurse's primary duty is to protect patient confidentiality, which is a legal and ethical obligation.
Hospital records are the legal property of the institution, and their release is governed by strict policies and laws (like HIPAA).
The correct procedure is to direct any legal or external requests for records to the hospital administration or medical records department, which is equipped to handle the legal verification process.
This action protects the patient, the nurse, and the hospital from legal liability associated with an improper disclosure of protected health information (PHI).

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: This is a direct and serious breach of patient confidentiality and violates privacy laws such as HIPAA. It could lead to legal action against the nurse and the hospital.
Option B: The primary treating physician is responsible for medical decisions, not the legal release of hospital records. They do not have the authority to override hospital policy and privacy laws.
Option D: Allowing someone to view confidential records is still a breach of privacy, just like giving them a copy. The information is still being disclosed improperly.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Safe nursing care depends on performing Patient Confidentiality and Legal Responsibilities in Nursing in the correct sequence, documenting the action clearly, and monitoring for the expected response.
A nurse's role as a patient advocate includes protecting their privacy and rights. This is especially critical for vulnerable patients like children.
Improperly releasing patient information can result in significant fines for the hospital and personal liability for the nurse, including loss of license.
What if? - If the police presented the nurse with a search warrant for the records? The nurse should still not hand over the records directly. The correct action is to immediately contact their supervisor and the hospital administration, inform them of the warrant, and allow them to handle the legal document and facilitate the release of records through the proper channel.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core issue of the question. Here, it is a conflict between a request from an authority figure (police) and a fundamental nursing duty (patient confidentiality).
Recall the principles of patient privacy and the legal framework (e.g., HIPAA) that governs patient information. Remember that medical records are legal documents belonging to the hospital.
Evaluate each option based on the nurse's scope of practice and legal obligations. A nurse's role does not typically include making legal decisions about record disclosure.
Eliminate options that clearly violate patient confidentiality (providing a copy, allowing access).
Eliminate options that involve deferring to someone who also lacks authority for this specific administrative task (the physician).
Select the option that aligns with professional conduct and standard hospital procedure: referring the matter to the department responsible for such requests (hospital administration).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Patient Confidentiality and Legal Responsibilities in Nursing
Stem keywords: 8-year-old child, police requested, hospital records, nurse's action
Lead-in keywords: nurse's action will be to
Clinical cues: The patient is a minor, which adds another layer of legal protection and consent requirements involving legal guardians.
Clinical cues: The request is from law enforcement, which requires a formal, legal process, not an informal handover of documents.

Question ID

QnedzW96fKxidaf721-YJs

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 2 pp. 155-157, 105-107

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 13075-13077

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