My brother is a 60 yr old double leg amputee. We were expecting the news to be bad about his cat scan.. cancer. What we weren't expecting was a very rude nurse on duty that day at the nursing home. It wasn't until a few days later that my brother told me how "this nurse" had told him the news. I was already angry with her, this added to it. My sister and I asked her not to tell him the results till she was able to get back to the nursing home. All we asked for was 1 hour, till she could get back there. I had to fax her a permission slip that I had signed, she would also have to sign and my brother too. This letter was to become part of my brothers permanent chart, stating only family members were to give him tests results. My brothers condition at this point is not critical and nor is it now, so in asking for a 1 hr delay my sister and I felt we weren't being unreasonable. This nurse claimed the Dr. of record insisted my brother be told the results. Well she told him, evidently from the hallway where other residents and their visitors could hear what she was saying. I did call the nursing home and speak to her supervisors about her, but I didn't know at the time how she had broke the news to my brother.

Because she said it in earshot of others it is a HIPPA violation. A Dr would not insist on the nurse telling the patient asap, that is ridiculous. The nurse chose to do this and disregarded your written request. This was not in your family members best interest. Call your state OMBUDSMAN this is a job for them, that is what they get paid to do.

She sounds like a bitter employee who resents any special orders. Now that this has happened, it will be in your brother's best interest for you and him to either talk with her and try to work out a relationship, or be ever vigilant from now on about any little thing she might do to make his life miserable. His daily life is what is at stake here; he's the one stuck with her, so what does he think about all this? And was he part of the request for you to be present when test results were told? He is a grown man after all, and needs to feel in control of his life.

Unless the patient is not capable of making their own medical choices and someone has been given guardianship over them, I see no legal reason that they can not be told the medical results. In fact I am not sure the family has a legal right to stop them from hearing the news first and alone if they so desire. *the patient has the rights to not have anyone even you to hear their medical results"

So have you established a guardianship over this person ?

So telling the patient alone was in poor taste, it was rude but so are 1000's of nursing home staff members and hospital members across the US and beyond.

What was wrong and incorrect was telling them where other patients or visitors can hear the news.