How would you handle a situation where you were curious about what was documented in a friend or family member's electronic health record?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or better known as HIPAA, is a federal privacy law that protects patients' personal and health information. Under the HIPAA rule, accessing medical records for family members or any other individuals out of curiosity is a violation, and doing so could lead to disciplinary action or even termination. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are often audited to determine if nursing and other staff members accessed any records not related to their daily responsibilities. The interviewer is asking this question to determine if the candidate understands that this is a HIPAA violation and is a serious offense. To successfully answer this question, you should not only express the fact that you would never violate the privacy of your loved ones or other patients, but also inform the interviewer that you understand this would be a HIPAA violation.