"Did you just take a picture of me?"

I had an odd experience last night at work. I was in my patients room wrangling TPN/LIPIDS and antibiotics on the iv pole while the patient and his family were chatting along. (They speak another language so I pretty much just do my thing quietly).

Anyway I noticed that one of the younger males, who was sitting in the chair facing me, picked up his Blackberry and held it up in front of him like somone does when they are taking a picture. It was aimed directly at me and then he put it down, typed a message and quietly went back to talking. A few moments later he got a text message.

I have been kind of creeped ever since.

I am not the kind of person to confront on a suspicion, so I just let it go and nothing spectacular has happened since. However I was kinda of like...what the eff?

Tait
I would flat out ask. It's an invasion of your privacy as you don't know him, know where he is going to post it, who he sent it to, or what he will do with it. You can do it in a non-accusatory manner and then define your boundaries.

I would just ask in a very polite, non-threatening manner."Did you just take my picture? And why?.."

Considering some of the things I have been through since I began nursing this seemed like small potatoes.Could be worse, I could have been in Wal-Mart and found myself on peopleofwalmart.com...Tait

I was going to suggest you dribble some TPN on that there blackberry. Give him some sticky fingers and looked surprised: what's the problem? Would have served him right to be treating you like some objectified nurse servant (ho) etc etc.

I never get good reception in the hospital where I work, so occasionally I'll try to sent a text, notice it isn't going through, and hold it up in an encouraging fashion and it *might* work. It looks like I'm taking a picture when I do this.

Quote from TaitConsidering some of the things I have been through since I began nursing this seemed like small potatoes.Could be worse, I could have been in Wal-Mart and found myself on peopleofwalmart.com...Tait

Quote from greenfiremajickOK, I HAVE to ask...What were you wearing????

I saw family members blatantly taking pictures of the patient's arm. It really irked me.

Technology sometimes goes too far. I guess you could call your supervisor and have him/her there when you confront. Is the patients arm an issue in her treatment?

You know, this could have been something really innocent! Perhaps he was simply communicating with family asking how "uncle Joe" is, and he could have been taking a picture of all the bags, tubes, etc. when responding with a photo to say.."not that great". It is very possible that you were not the focus of the photo, if there was one. Just the tubes, bags, O2, etc. Or he could have said ..hey, uncle Joe has a really hot nurse! See...and sent a photo. I would just drop the subject, unless it happens again.

I've seen family members fervently taking notes on everything going on with their relative's care (typing them into a laptop or writing them down in a notebook). Sometimes I know it's to keep track of the care and medical history, other times I wonder if it isn't being used for some other purpose. You shouldn't have anything to worry about, but it would feel creepy to me to be in that situation - to feel like you are always being watched and analyzed (as it does when someone is taking notes on all my actions). I would at the very least ask if they took a picture and ask them why. And tell them that if they *really* wanted a picture of staff then it would be better to ask.

Photography in hospitals in general is usually prohibited by policy simply because of the HIPAA risks. Further, if you did not give permission for your picture to be taken I would ask the person to delete the photograph, and then I would have called security to have him identified, and then removed. If the picture in the hospital setting then shows up on the internet, you or the hospital will then know who to legally go after.