{"id":32359,"date":"2013-07-17T09:15:53","date_gmt":"2013-07-17T13:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shilohwalker.com\/website\/?p=32359"},"modified":"2013-07-17T09:15:07","modified_gmt":"2013-07-17T13:15:07","slug":"writing-a-more-believable-medical-heroheroine-day-2-confidentiality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shilohwalker.com\/website\/2013\/07\/writing-a-more-believable-medical-heroheroine-day-2-confidentiality\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing a more believable medical hero\/heroine…day 2, confidentiality"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Medical<\/a><\/p>\n

Image \u00a9\u00a0Shannon Matteson<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Dreamstime Stock Photos<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Ever heard of HIPAA?<\/p>\n

If you’re writing a medical hero or heroine, you should have heard of it.<\/p>\n

Also, if you’ve been to the doctor’s office in the past umpteen years, you have heard it. \u00a0You just might not realize that is what it is.<\/p>\n

In 1996, HIPAA<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, also known as the\u00a0Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was endorsed by Congress.<\/p>\n

Why does this matter when writing a doctor or nurse? Because your doctor or nurse should have a basic understanding of it. You don’t need to go throwing that term\u00a0in<\/em>\u00a0there, because your readers might not understand it.<\/p>\n

But your\u00a0medical<\/em> readers, and there are a lot of us, will laugh or roll our eyes or get downright irritated when you trample all over confidentiality… because that is what this is about.<\/p>\n

Confidentiality.<\/p>\n

Confidentiality has always mattered to an ethical nurse or doctor, but after HIPAA came into being, it got more important. Talking about a patient in the cafeteria, where\u00a0other<\/em> people can hear you can lead to serious trouble. \u00a0Looking through records<\/a> you have no business accessing can get you fired. (Link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Facebooking about a patient can lead to big trouble. \u00a0Nurses get fired<\/strong><\/em><\/a> over this. (Link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

And while this case here<\/a> – the woman took\u00a0photos<\/em> for pete’s sake – look at what is under the header…referred to the FBI.(<\/em>Link<\/a>) That FBI thing should clue you in…\u00a0confidentiality is no joking matter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I cannot\u00a0tell<\/em> you how many books I’ve read where the hero or heroine is somehow connected to the medical field…a doctor, nurse, EMT, etc and will be in the cafeteria, talking about Ms. Shaw and her hip, in the elevator, talking about cranky old Mr. Roberts and his dialysis, etc, etc.<\/p>\n

Yes, the staff will\u00a0talk<\/em>.\u00a0<\/em>But…the smart ones, who value their jobs, aren’t going to do it in public where anybody but<\/em> staff can hear.<\/p>\n

And it shouldn’t be gossipy. \u00a0Say a nurse in ICU hears you’ve got a hunky cop on the med-surg floor. \u00a0She comes up and wants details… yes, this is totally believable, right?<\/p>\n

Do you know that if you are overheard discussing\u00a0<\/em>those details, you can get fired?<\/p>\n

Basically, you share\u00a0only<\/em> the necessary information with the\u00a0necessary<\/em> people.<\/p>\n

So if you’re overheard discussing patients at yoga…in the supermarket…with your BFF…that’s a no.<\/p>\n

You might think this is too restrictive to your story, but if you want to make your medical character more believable, then you can find a way to work it.<\/p>\n

Basically:<\/p>\n