Posted on 03/23/2007 8:16:41 AM PDT by Dirtysnowbank
Patient’s candid camera sends shockwaves through hospitals
By Jessica Fargen
Boston Herald Health & Medical Reporter
Friday, March 23, 2007 - Updated: 12:46 AM EST
A nurse’s discovery of a Webcam hooked up by parents in their child’s Boston hospital room has stunned the patient’s doctor, raised a mound of privacy issues and potentially left medical staff looking over their shoulders.
Dr. Samuel Blackman, a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, would not speak for the record when contacted by the Herald about the incident at Children’s Hospital.
But in an entry on his blog titled “Hemorrhage! You’re On Candid Camera,” Blackman strongly questioned the use of the camera in the child’s room, asking, “Should parents have the right to a hospital version of a NannyCam?”
According to Blackman’s blog account - an incident confirmed by hospital officials - the unidentified parents set up the camera so the child’s favorite relative could see what was going on during the long hospital stay. It captured, among other things, the child suffering a bloody nose and vomiting.
The parents were asked by the doctor to take the camera down. Blackman removed the blog entry yesterday afternoon.
“How far can a parent or relative go in taping the health care of their loved one?” he asked in the blog, adding that, while the filming of births is commonplace, there are questions about whether graphic procedures or even a patient’s death should be allowed to be taped.
Steps must be taken to protect the privacy of both patients and hospital staff, he wrote.
Direct-to-Web sites like www.youtube.com, have allowed just about anyone to bring millions of Internet junkies into a hospital room with a few key strokes.
At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, chief information officer Dr. John Halamka said, “Webcams wouldn’t be something we would want to allow in a patient room. We don’t want someone walking into an OR and saying, ‘Here’s mom’s operation.’ How (would) mom feel about that?”
Every patient room has free wireless access, he said, but the hospital bans cameras and Webcams.
Children’s Hospital families are free to film their own child, but must have permission to record staff or other patients, said spokeswoman Anna Gonski. Blackman consulted a staff attorney about the Webcam incident, she said.
Dr. Deborah Peel of the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation said as long as a patient isn’t recording other patients, she doesn’t see violations of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, which protects patient privacy.
“Many people are very concerned that the quality of care in hospitals has decreased so much. I could understand the family wanting a Webcam to prove what care their family did or didn’t get,” she said.
Dr. Kenneth Peelle, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said hospitals have adopted their own policies as the technology emerges. “It’s a relatively new area,” Peelle said.
But he said, “If it goes over to someone hiding a camera, that would be stepping over the line.”
They need to cut the crap. They're not concerned about anyone's privacy. They're concerned about being caught on tape screwing up.
Yep.
If the kid didn't care and the parents consent; go for it.
Yes. they may fear being observed screwing up in the "opinion" of a lawyer. But the doctors may screw up more based on the unwarranted pressure.
If the Doctors quit the hospital, we would ALL suffer. Do we all go to the outpatient ward? Do we go to the walk in clinics or Doctors office ? ...and what happens with the medical needs requiring hospital stay? Not a good idea overall. JMO
File under "we are worried about lawsuits".
What on earth would the hospital staff be doing with the child, that they wouldn't want the parents to see???
Hey, why should you be able to see your child when you're not there? After all, the hospital staff only has his life in their hands. And it's only your child.
The parents need to cut the crap too, they are just looking for someone to make a mistake so they can sue someone, no other reason IMHO.
And we all make mistakes even Dr's.
The doctors screw up in the kid's room due to the pressure?? LOL I bet you know doctors do not exactly hang around their patients' rooms much. IF you are lucky they make their rounds when you are awake so you can ask them what the heck is going on.
I agree. Police have cameras in their patrol cars for THEIR protection.
If I had a parent or other loved one in a nursing home who was not entirely "with it," I would have one of these so that I could see how well they were being treated when family could not be there.
Why can't average people using cameras for their own protection also?
I don't think you would not prevail in court .
I would certainly like to have the benefit of a webcam if I had a child in the hospital.
For what hospital charge you should be seeing what your paying for! I got CO2 poisoning a month ago. 2 hours of sucking oxygen abd running a blood test cost me $1600, only to tell me what I knew already!
**Good idea, I am all for it. It protects the patients and can expose other forms of neglect and frauds. On the other hand it will go far to identify good Doctors and Nurses as well weed out the bad ones.**
Would also be excellent in a nursing home patient's room!
"There have been many cases of patients being raped or otherwise abused by some sicko who wondered in off the strret."
I doubt that ther has been enough to justify a video camera.
If you feel a hospital is not safe move your child to one that is safe IYHO.
There should be cameras in public school classrooms as well. For everyone's protection. Ahhh.. but the unions won't allow that.
The doctors are more afraid that the webcam could show possible malpractice than worried for their patients' privacy
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