Situational Nursing Mock Interview
Practice 50 Situational Nursing interview questions covering clinical judgment, patient safety, and critical response scenarios.
Question 39 of 50
A coworker left her computer open with sensitive information on the screen. You are the only one in the nurses' station. How would you address this with her?
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Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
Patient confidentiality must be honored, and leaving a computer open even to run to the bathroom for a minute risks a serious breach of patient confidentiality. Even though you are the only person in the room, you should not have access to patient information that you have no need to know. Even if you wouldn't say a word to anyone and you are a professional nurse with integrity, you should not be able to see possible protected information on a patient that you are not personally taking care of. Leaving a computer wide open is a serious risk to confidentiality.
If you see this, you could gently close the computer so that the screen is not visible and discuss the seriousness of this when your coworker returns. You must protect your license and you should report to supervision. It's uncomfortable to do so, but a nurse always takes the action that protects and advocates for the patient.
Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
"I would immediately close or cover the computer. I would not look at the information, of course. If I wasn't sure where the coworker was or when he or she left, I would be compelled to report it to supervision because someone could have accessed the information. It's a tough call and may cause some coworker tension, but as a nurse, I must do what is best for my nursing license and the patient, and that is to protect the confidentiality of the patient."
"I would lock my coworker's computer without looking at anything on the screen and then let her know that I did so. If I knew for sure that no one looked at her computer screen while she was away, then I would remind her of the importance of locking her computer when she steps away. If I couldn't verify that no one had access to the sensitive information, I would have to let my supervisor know what happened. Potential violations of patient privacy are very serious."
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