The Scenario:
In performing an audit at a local Trauma I hospital. I was asked to wait for the Chief Nursing Officer in a patient waiting room that was filthy with unwrapped, uneaten food, paper on the floor and a set of patient discharge instructions that included protected health information (PHI). Numerous staff personnel when in and out of this room, yet not one stopped to clean or pick up the PHI papers.
What are the legal and ethical issues in this example and what is a staff person's responsibility to remedy the situation?