Critical Thinking Exercise 1
A Minor Confidentiality Issue
Seven-year old Timmy Brown was taken to Quinbery General Hospital by his father for treatment of a broken arm and abrasions. When asked about the cause of the injury, Timmy s father told the triage nurse, Sarah Thompson, that he had fallen from the playground equipment at the park. While they were in the ER department, Timmy s father, Matthew Brown, appeared hesitant to allow Timmy to be left alone with the hospital ER staff. The staff suspected that the injuries may not have been acquired in the manner described by Mr. Brown. The abrasions were too clean. When Timmy was taken for x-rays, the staff made a point of not allowing Mr. Brown inside the room. The ER staff questioned Timmy, but he verified his father s story. Timmy consistently denied abuse or fear of abuse. This was noted in his medical record.
Prior to being discharged from the ER, Mr. Brown requested that a notice be placed in the record that he was to be notified prior to releasing Timmy s records to anybody else. He also noted that he and his wife, Melody Brown, are divorced, and that she was not to have access to Timmy s records without his consent.
The next weekend, Melody, Timmy s mother, comes to the HIM department at Quinbery General Hospital requesting copies of Timmy s records from the ER. She stated that she suspected that Matthew is physically abusing Timmy, and she wanted to review the documentation.
Communication: Define the problem in your own words.
Questions:
- Identify the main idea or problem in the case study
- Support your choice of the main idea or problem with details and examples.
- Organize your findings (details & examples) in a logical and coherent format.
