Culture Note 8: Waiting at the Pharmacy

Waiting at the Pharmacy

At the pharmacy, about a meter and a half from the counter where you pick up your “prescriptions” (drugs the doctor gives you), you may see a small sign or “mat” (something you stand on that protects the floor or surface under it) that reads:

Please Wait Here / You’re NEXT / Respect Patient Privacy

“Please wait here” is clear enough. It means “Don’t go any farther! Stop here!” “You’re next” is telling you that you will be the next person who is helped at the counter. “Respect Patient Privacy” is a little more “involved” (complicated).

“To respect” means, in this case, to observe, to be careful of, or to look out for. “Patients” are people who are sick and need to see a doctor. “Privacy” comes from private, meaning to keep things secret from other people, not to let other people know your personal information. The reason the sign says “Respect Patient Privacy” is that the hospital doesn’t want us to stand too close to the patient at the counter. If we do, we could hear their private medical information, which is none of our concern.

There is a reason why hospitals and pharmacies have these signs now. In the early 2000’s, the U.S. government passed a set of laws to protect people’s personal medical information so that it would not be given to others without their permission. The law is called HIPAA, which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It was meant in part to protect people’s privacy when it comes to medical information. If you look closely at those pharmacy signs or mats, you may see the words “HIPAA Compliant,” meaning that this sign or mat meets the requirements of the HIPAA law. “To be compliant” means that you or your organization is doing the things necessary to obey a certain law.

本期要留给大家一个“一生的小作业”：

让我们一起尊重病人的隐私，在药房和医院，与前面的患者自动保持距离吧！

欢迎大家在留言区参与互动，把你的问题和想说的告诉我吧！