image: © istockphoto.com/carl swahn
Rule #1: Don’t leak photos or news to the public. Rihanna didn’t appreciate it, and for good reason.
Celebrities (even third-tier, reality-show stars) expect and deserve the same privacy as anyone else when seeking healthcare. That might be hard to believe in this day and age of 24/7 celebrity coverage, but it’s true. So treat your high-profile patient just like anyone else.
Of course, that can be hard to do, because—let’s admit it—caring for a high-profile patient can be a bit of a rush. It’s hard not to tell your friends that you just cared for the hunk they’ve been lusting after for years. But it’s your responsibility to be extra careful with any and all personal details. Think about it: Celebrities spend years crafting their image. They come to you in their weakest, most human moments. The last thing they need is you exploiting their weakness/celebrity/infamy for cash/fame/infamy.
Of course, caring for a high-profile patient can be a bit of a pain as well. They’ll probably have layers of security and may be used to extra-special treatment. You can handle it, though. You’re a pro.
I have also encountered instances at my hospital of caring for children of families who are gracious donors to the hospital, like have donated millions upon millions of dollars. Although you want to make sure that you treat all of your patients equal and give each the best care you can give, you may have administration breathing down your neck to make that patient’s stay extra special. In this case, carry on your business and let administration do the spoiling because it is your job to give your patient the best care possible, regardless of how much money they give. Most importantly, you can get into big time trouble for spilling information to the public about your high-profile patient, don’t violate HIPAA, it could cost you your license.
By Valerie, RN on December 9, 2009 at 10:40 am