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photography.
"We have been questioned about it at each inspection, but when we
show the consent it was OK," says Ms. Reiter. She also notes that the
facility has a safety-viewing screen on the camera-feed monitor to
help protect privacy.
Others say that it's not only the feed monitor at the control desk that
can cause patient privacy problems. One administrator noted that it's
important to have secure storage systems for the cameras' recordings.
She says that her facility has cameras, but none are focused on clinical
areas. "We monitor hallways and periphery," she says. "If cameras are
to be included in clinical areas, then specific release has to be attained
every time and appropriate mechanisms for storage and retrieval have
to be in place along with policies and procedures."
The question of cameras in the OR doesn't just affect patient privacy.
One administrator says the cameras could have heavy implications in
lawsuits. "Something else
to consider is the potential
liability that is raised when
and if your facility were to
be named in a lawsuit
claiming malpractice of
any sort," he says, noting
those files could be sub-
poenaed.
— Kendal Gapinski
FEED MONITOR A monitor that displays camera feeds
from the ORs and hallways sits at the control desk at
the DISC Surgery Center in California.
DISC
Surgery
Center
