HIPAA Quick Reference
Guide For Employees
Can we post allergy
information on the patient's hospital room door?Yes and no.
In general, good patient privacy practices require us to eliminate posting patient care information outside of the patient's room. However, sometimes patient safety issues must supersede the need to maintain privacy. Since the hallway is a semi-public area, only information that has serious patient safety benefits should be posted.
So...
It IS OKAY to post environmental allergy information for items such as latex, cleaning chemicals, or even food exposure that could cause a reaction because the item in the presence of the patient alone can cause a risk for the patient. Thus, in this situation, patient safety principles outweigh our need to protect patient privacy. However, the posting should be generic (e.g. a picture or colored tab that is identifiable by only UCMC healthcare providers).
It IS NOT OKAY to post any other allergy information outside the door. Respect for patient privacy supersedes our convenience. For example, rarely would it be necessary to post information next to the door regarding a patient's allergies to medication.
The University of Chicago Medical Center | 5841 South Maryland Avenue | Chicago, IL 60637
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