Privacy in the pharmacy environment: Analysis of observations from inside the pharmacy

Autor: Thomas P. Lodise, Jessica A. Nadeau, Robert A. Bednarczyk, Louise-Anne McNutt, Mario M. Zeolla, Shazia Hussain, Robert Martiniano, Andrew McCarthy, F. Bruce Coles, Christopher F. Davis
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 50:362-367
ISSN: 1544-3191
Popis: Objective To measure the extent to which pharmacist–patient conversations are private. Design Cross sectional. Setting New York State, April to June 2007. Participants No individual participants were enrolled; the study consisted of observations of the pharmacy environment and pharmacy patient–staff interactions. Intervention Measurement of privacy-related distances in the pharmacy. Main outcome measures Distance between patients at the pharmacy counter and staff behind the counter, distance between patient waiting area and pharmacy counter, and distance that a pharmacy counter conversation was audible. Results Observational data were recorded from 597 pharmacy staff–patient interactions in 282 pharmacies across New York State. Of the 597 interactions, 167 occurred while a second patient was within 6 ft. Of the 282 pharmacies, pharmacy staff–patient conversations were audible to observers more than 6 ft away in 229 pharmacies; 142 could be heard more than 15 ft away. Conclusion Most staff–patient conversations in the pharmacy setting are not private and, as a result, have a high potential for incidental protected health information disclosures.
Databáze: OpenAIRE