Cell Phone Camera

[bldbnkr 38]

We have a Pathologist who is off site, and she has asked that techs take photos of abnormal hematology cells with their cell phone and text them to her if they have any questions.  We are very uncomfortable with this for the following reasons:

1.  We have a no cell phone policy in the lab due to tech distraction and universal precautions (everything in the lab is considered dirty and handled with gloves

2.  The hospital does not pay for our person cell phones.  

 

Has anyone ever heard of this request?  Apparently she also does not like to have to review a slide and locate the cell in question, she wants it shown to her.  I say she is getting paid for a Pathology Review of a slide and she can find her own cells.

 

[Malcolm Needs ★ 4,278]

14 minutes ago, bldbnkr said:

I say she is getting paid for a Pathology Review of a slide and she can find her own cells.

Could not agree more.

[Cliff 362]

I'd think it's also a privacy issue.  Where I work, we can only use phones encrypted by our hospitals approved encryption software for sending patient information.  I do not believe we are allowed to use text for patient info (not sure on that as I never would), we can only use our email that is also encrypted.

HIPAA terrifies me.  Violations at our hospital provide two options, final written warning or termination.  It's always at least one of those and depends on the level of the violation.  I suspect knowingly sending patient info on a non-encrypted phone would result in immediate termination.

[SMILLER 766]

I agree with all the comment above.  You should not be sending HIPPA protected info from a personal smart phone.  And most labs ban smart phone use in the Lab due to universal precautions.

Scott

[kimannez 5]

Get a Cellavision with remote viewing software or at the very least a camera scope. 

Additionally, I always wondered at the significance of only one abnormal cell on a slide.......

[R1R2 287]

have your lab director talk to the pathologist, His is not a tech call.    THis is why your lab director gets paid the big bucks. 

[SMILLER 766]

Now that I think of it, perhaps the pathologist is simply offering to help ID a particular cell (they are not really reviewing the entire CBC) that a tech has an issue with.  In that case, as long as the patient is not identified, I see no problem--other than the universal precautions thing.

Scott

[Ensis01 78]

12 hours ago, kimannez said:

Get a Cellavision with remote viewing software or at the very least a camera scope. 

Additionally, I always wondered at the significance of only one abnormal cell on a slide.......

 

8 hours ago, SMILLER said:

Now that I think of it, perhaps the pathologist is simply offering to help ID a particular cell (they are not really reviewing the entire CBC) that a tech has an issue with.  In that case, as long as the patient is not identified, I see no problem--other than the universal precautions thing.

Scott

Get the lab director to talk to the pathologist to determine if the photos are to help techs identify a skiptocite or if the photos are for review. 

[bldbnkr 38]

Problem is this Pathologist is now our new Lab Director!

On 5/16/2019 at 10:45 PM, Ensis01 said:

 

Get the lab director to talk to the pathologist to determine if the photos are to help techs identify a skiptocite or if the photos are for review. 

 

[Ensis01 78]

5 hours ago, bldbnkr said:

Problem is this Pathologist is now our new Lab Director!

 

That seems wrong on several levels, or is it me?

[Malcolm Needs ★ 4,278]

6 minutes ago, Ensis01 said:

That seems wrong on several levels, or is it me?

No, it is not just you.