HIPAA and Safety Briefing for Medical Interpreters
Presented by Linda Golley on behalf of NOTIS and UWMC to
staff interpreters of SignOn July 2009
Topics
! HIPAA for Interpreters ! Patient Rights ! Care Team Responsibility ! Interpreter HIPAA Issues
! Safety for Interpreters ! Infection Control ! Immunization Status ! Physical and Radiation Safety ! Violence and Harassment
HIPAA—Health Information Portability and Accountability Act ! Rights of patients
! Right to access to own info and to know who else has accessed it
! Right to privacy ! Right to correct the record
! Responsibility of care team ! Provide access to records to patient ! Maintain confidentiality: only divulge to
members of care team in that organization, for purposes of serving patient, need to know only.
Interpreter HIPAA Issues
! Care team refuses interpreter access to demographic and clinical info (not OK)
! How much info to share with interpreter company coordinator? (info needed to assure proper care)
! How much info to share with interpreters taking over care of patient? (gossip vs. need-to-know)
! Interpreter’s management of spoken and written material (guard both)
Safety—Infection Control
! Bottom line: Do not bring germs in or out or get sick yourself
! No food, drink, make-up, contacts in patient care areas
! Be aware of and compliant with posted precautions for specific areas and specific patients
! Know proper hand-hygiene method ! Wear proper shoes, clothing, nails, hair ! Hyper-vigilance: NICU, rad-onc/ infusion
pts, HIV/ AIDS pts, transplant pts, ICU
Infection Control-- No food, drink, make-up application, contact lens care in patient care areas ! Dept. of Health requirement, big ding
if observed. ! For interpreter’s protection. ! Consider every surface in public
areas suspect, and every surface in patient care areas dangerous.
! Consider the air contaminated by droplets.
Safety—Immunization Status
! TB screening annually or even q 6 mo ! Infections that can be avoided through
immunization ! Measles ! Mumps ! Rubella ! Varicella ! Hepatitis B ! Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis
! Annual flu vaccine ! Endemic or epidemic situations
Safety—Physical and Radiation Safety
! Sharp objects can cut, infect ! Spills of biohazardous or chemical
materials ! Neck vulnerability (cords, jewelry) ! Back injury from patient falls,
wheelchair runaway ! Radiation if not shielded correctly
Safety—Violence
! Violence: recognize and handle ! Care team members ! Patients ! Family members ! General public ! Protect, de-escalate, document, report,
avoid