This morning I took my son in to a well baby clinic.  Due to the nature of an open clinic, we did not a specific appointment time and therefore had to wait for half an hour.  I would welcome 30 minutes with nothing do without children.  However, throw in a 3 1/2 year old and a just turned 2 year old, and I was all over the place trying to keep up with them.  They weren’t being disobedient per se (emphasis on per se), just louder than the other patients cared for, I would guess.  As I chased my son down the hall I was about to banish him from, I noticed several open exam rooms.  I also noticed that the door blocking off access to that hall was also ajar.  Lastly, I couldn’t help but notice a nurse ssshhhing my children as they rushed by.  Partly embarrassed at being that mother (the one who lets her kids run all over the place {subtext: but in a culture where popping with a wooden spoon is more than frowned upon, I’m not totally sure what they expect???} and partly annoyed at someone else telling my kids what to do in an unprotected environment (shut the doors!), I managed to keep my mouth shut.  They’re welcome.

When I go to the doctor, I want to feel taken care of, not publicly displayed.

HIPAA anyone?

Finally, we were called in.  A 30 minute wait for a 2-minute weigh-in.  As I was discussing our next real appointment, the nurse loudly said, “Oh yes, because you had some serious concerns about your son’s development last time…”  Can I remind everyone that this was an OPEN clinic, so her remark was not only heard by my incredibly verbal and prone to repeat what she hears 3 year old, but also by several other adults and their children.  I was mortified.  I did not want that repeated publicly, much less in front of his older sister who wouldn’t mean anything by it, but would most certainly repeat it at an inopportune time.

So, I walked away rather defeated, wondering how all of that could have been avoided. Let’s start with me: I will talk with my children beforehand next time about what is and is not appropriate in a doctor’s office (and waiting room).  Here are my thoughts for the rest of the breach of privacy and confidentiality:

Tips for Privacy in Medical Facilities

• Close exam room doors when patients are inside them.  This will protect patient’s own experiences as they talk with doctors and will simultaneously protect them from outside conversations, or noises in the case of my son.
• Close off the waiting room from the exam rooms, if possible.  The doors are there for a reason.  Most people with children in the waiting room have sick kids who are quite miserable, which usually equates to a whole lot of loud crying.  Or, in my case, I had well children who wanted to play.
• Practice common courtesy in discussing a patient’s concerns in front of other patients.  Most do not want their medical histories or concerns aired out in front of a captive audience.
• Install sound masking.  It’s a simple application of white noise that will ensure privacy for all involved.

So, if you’re a doctor or medical professional, please respect our right to privacy.  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but these are our personal details, and we’d like to keep them private.  If you can’t, we’ll be forced to break up.

What are other people hearing?

In that specific situation, I was hit with the stark reality that medical (and what I always assumed was private) information obtained on the phone or in the office is not at all private.  When I pour my postnatal hormonal feelings out in my doctor’s office, I want the comfort on knowing she was the only one who heard me.  I don’t want to look over my shoulder, wondering if anyone in the waiting room or adjacent office heard me.

HIPAA is in place to safeguard such information, but it doesn’t force doctors to implement any acoustic treatments like sound masking to further guard our medical records.  However, I love my doctor and would like to keep seeing her.  I just wish she would value me as much as I value her.