Biology Forums - Study Force

Several nurses are discussing a patient and family in the cafeteria. The best response by one of the nurses to this discussion is
 
  a. Let's discuss this once we get back to the nurses' station.
  b. Shh The patient's family might be in the cafeteria now.
  c. This is confidential information and shouldn't be discussed.
  d. We should really keep our voices down so others can't hear us.

C
This is the correct response because it is not likely that all the parties to this conversation are involved in direct care of the patient and need to know what is being shared. Even if all parties were involved in direct care of the patient, the cafeteria is not a private area and should never be used as a place to discuss patients or their care.
The nurses' station is not a private area, and conversations there are easily overheard. Confidential information should not be shared there even if the employees in the conversation all need to know the information.
The patient's family might or might not be in the cafeteria, but even if they are not there, the nurses should not be discussing patients with people who do not need to know the information.
The nurses should not be discussing patients in a public area at all, and they should not be sharing information with any other people who do not have a need to know in order to care for the patient.