Failure to Remove Hospital Wristband Exposing Resident's Personal Information
Penalty
Summary
A resident with severe cognitive impairment and multiple medical diagnoses, including dementia, alcoholic cirrhosis, and dysphagia, was observed wearing a hospital wristband that displayed personal information such as name, age, date of birth, and gender. The wristband was still on the resident's wrist after returning from a recent hospital visit, making the resident's identifying information visible to anyone. Staff, including a registered nurse and the director of nursing, acknowledged that the wristband should have been removed upon the resident's return to protect privacy, as the exposed information constituted a violation of privacy policies and was considered a HIPAA concern. Facility policy requires that resident labels be placed in a manner that is both conspicuous and respectful of dignity, which was not followed in this instance.