should I report this?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

Not sure if this should really be in AIBU but just need some advice.

I went to the GP today for a blood test with the HCA. At one point she left the room to consult with the duty GP about one of the symptoms I was having. She was gone about 5-6 minutes.

She left the computer on, unlocked and with her staff card in it. I could easily have looked up another patient. Obviously I didn't, but it is a potential security breach. I feel like I should alert the surgery, just so they can remind staff to lock the machine if leaving it unattended.

What would other people do in this scenario?

Next time, if you go in, get a needle, then get that needle removed and told to go sit on your car until you're recalled to get another needle- remember why.

Boswell, is that you?

The needle tho

@girlmom21 well lots of us didn't have a clue what she was on about!

Of course they wouldnt have to send everyone out of the room, they just have to look their screens. It takes a few seconds and should be second nature.

You get a cannula inserted. The nurse then discovers she needs more information that she can only get by leaving the room and consulting a colleague.

She can't leave you in the room, as much as anything, it might not just be the PC that is linked to others medical information; there might be notes, bits of paper with patient information on them.

So she takes the needle out, gets you to go out and maybe sit in your car while she gets the back up she needs. Then calls you back in, and re-cannulates you.

Believe me, she wouldn't be permitted to send you out of the room with a needle in your arm.

Is that clear enough?

Yep. You get it.

No I wouldn’t report this because I wouldn’t want to get someone into trouble. Yes it’s not great but people are human and mistakes are made under stress. Most people wouldn’t even think to look anyway, it’s quite a stretch to think that the general public thinks ah ha I’m alone in a medical room il look up some info on the system. Most people would just sit there. Your being a bit ridiculous and a bit of a busy body. Being a social worker has nothing to do with this either so not sure why you mentioned that.

I can’t see why you would report this??

A really good idea, a really awesome solution would be.... hear me out: do nothing. People who look for problems are some of the worst types of people.

Ahhh. If OP had said that they left her with a needle sticking out of her arm, your post would have been easier to follow. We all just assumed that this happened either before or after taking bloods.

Same here re computer when I went for my pneumonia inoculation 😡 very lax

I doubt many people would even consider looking through the computer! Obviously went through your mind though !!!

Love how sassy that last line is given no one had a clue 🤣

OP, if you genuinely were concerned, you could have mentioned it to her when she got back: ‘you forgot to log off, love, there’s plenty of nutters around’. And that would have been the end of that.
It was a genuine mistake, we’re all human. Maybe she thought it’ll take 2 secs. Maybe she was exhausted and was trying to just focus on helping you, as opposed to focusing on bloody paperwork. Maybe she just didn’t think.

It is a needlessly complex security measure, tbf

Well thanks to you OP, they now have to CALL THE ARMY and PUT A HANNIBAL LECTER MASK ON YOU and BURY THE SURGERY IN CONCRETE and RELEASE THE FRICKIN' SHARKS WITH LASER BEAMS ATTACHED TO THEIR HEADS. Remember why.

Or they could just... lock the computer?

imagine being arsey about it when 99% of people had no clue what you were talking about 😆

My only hope for tonight is that someone who is subscribed to Midjourney AI types this in, and an AI generated image from your description is produced.

It will be beautiful

Blimey, I'd look every one up! I'd even add a few notes to their records. Kidding, just here to see what @Fordian is talking about!

Yes OP, I would make the surgery manager aware, in writing. It's a lapse of good practice, with potentially serious ramifications, and the surgery needs to be made aware of the lapse, in order to help avoid it happening again.

What you don't know (unless you did snoop....) is whether you actually could access another patient's record without having to supply a password at the point you switch between patients.

Op I understand why you would think raising this is a good idea.

Without going into too much detail, the number of times exes, parents who don't have access to child etc try and extract info from hospitals is crazy!
As safeguarding training, you are not supposed to leave computers logged in whilst you leave the room. In fact we weren't even supposed to leave the notes (patients own notes) in the room when we popped out.

I wouldn't complain, and not get the HCA in trouble, but it probably would be good to highlight it.

It's a security breach yes but I wouldn't raise it personally.

I remember I used to see a bloke casually who text me one day saying he had chlamydia () I went to the gum clinic and the nurse brought in my folder, I told her why I was there, she went and brought in his folder, had a leaf through it, set it down open and left the room for about ten minutes!!!

I was really tempted to look at it but I didn't. On reflection maybe she was encouraging me to do so

Don't computers normally lock automatically really quick? Where I've worked every bleeding time I turned my back they would lock.

Also how many of us none qualified would actually understand the notes and abbreviations? Let alone how to do a patient search? I'm pretty sure it's not as simple as google.

I don't think doctors and such need anymore stick at the min! I've been left alone in GP rooms loads of times, I felt quite pleased to be trusted. I could have ransacked their drawers of equipment? Are they to lock all that up too each time they have to nip out of the room?

As I said upthread, I'm.a social worker and cyber security is drummed into us endlessly. So maybe I'm over-alert to the possibility of misuse.

I believe there's some research out there stating that most nurses who go through the trauma of a disciplinary leave once the 6 months its on your file is up. Especially for things that they feel were over the top and could have been dealt with by just a quick advisory word in your ear. I know three colleagues who have done exactly this.
We all do it especially if we're busy the system often seems to take ages to log back onto.

I’m no genius but I don’t know why so many people can’t understand @Fordian post
I presume she means that if you had an injection and the nurse needed to leave the room to get another syringe and they thought you would snoop you would be asked to rave the surgery rather than be left unattended