Sharing Personal Information with Patients If you are new to nursing, you have probably been in overload on information and instructions. Something that is often overlooked is the information that you may share with your patients. This is a very important matter, and there are multiple ways of looking at it. Who is it Safe to Share With Say you have a patient, and 80 year old woman that is under your care for several days. She may ask, do you have children, or other similar questions, simply being polite in passing the time. In a case such as this, saying yes, you have a boy and a girl, etc is fine, however, even with a patient that you feel comfortable with, limit the amount of information. If your patient was a younger person of the opposite sex that is asking questions, there should be some consideration. It may be totally innocent on their part, but you don't know that for sure. Patients can develop crushes on their medical providers, and that is never a good thing. Carefully limit personal information in a case such as this, a patient could see an abundance of information as an invitation into your life. Related: How to handle Patients with Cerebral Palsy Sharing information Many years ago a very friendly nurse was employed in a large hospital. She was favored by many of the patients and her coworkers for her super friendly nature and kind demeanor. She had a patient admitted under her care for a week or so and things were going OK. Or so she thought things were OK, she answered all of his questions, many of which he had no business knowing. The patient told his nurse that he was a banker and was shot in a hunting accident several years earlier, which was the reason for his hospital stay in order to get the bullet removed. Three months later this 31year-old nurse was found murdered and her apartment. The patient she shared information with was not a banker and in fact his only affiliation with banking was that he once robbed a bank and the gunshot injury was a result of an encounter with law-enforcement. He now had personal information on his nurse including the apartment complex she lived in and what kind of car she drives. And during his trial it came out that he used the information she shared with him regarding the apartment complex where she lived, then went down to her car that she had described to him parked in the numbered parking place, coordinating the apartment and then going for a visit. This is a very sad ending and one may or may not have been avoided. It certainly would’ve lessened the possibility had she not shared so much personal information with him, he felt when he went to surprise her at her apartment with a bouquet of flowers that she would welcome him in with open arms
and instead she was shocked and questioned why he was there. After explaining to him that her friendliness towards him was nothing more than her normal personality with every patient he was very upset and ultimately it led to her death. Related: Nursing Specialist in High Demand Today Most hospitals provide some training on sharing information and personal boundaries with patients, but be cautious. It's better to be more reserved than to be too forthcoming and open about your personal life, family, or any other details. Even patients that seem as if there could never be a threat could pass on personal information to others so it’s a smart idea to always protect yourself and limit what you say to all patients. Your job as the nurse is to be a nurse first, and a care provider then to do the best you can for your patients, however, it’s not your role to be their best friend and hospitals actually look down on that. Be friendly, but turn the conversation toward the patient. Ask about their life and their family, casually mention that you have two children or whatever the case may be, and let it go at that. It’s better to be a little less friendly and outgoing and to remain safer than it is to share information and then wonder later if you shared too much. Personal boundaries are a big issue with the human resource department of medical facilities and mainly the reasons are for the safety concerns of their employees. They should be taken seriously Related: List of nursing organizations Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter