Hi all–I’ve been told that one of our ED psych safe bathrooms has some sort of “peep” hole installed within it for staff to view. This seems like a violation of privacy. Is this something you have heard of before? And if so, are there any regulations that address it?
We have a client who added a partial wall between the sink and toilet for the eating disorder outpatient with the goal of allowing staff to hear but not see a patient at the toilet. It did make that toilet non-accessible
Melanie BaumhoverMobile 651.238.5817
| scott.d.blindauer
September 23 |
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Hi all–I’ve been told that one of our ED psych safe bathrooms has some sort of “peep” hole installed within it for staff to view. This seems like a violation of privacy. Is this something you have heard of before? And if so, are there any regulations that address it?
Scott,
I have never heard of a peephole in a toilet room door. I understand the balance of safety and patient privacy. In the past we specify ligature resistant fixtures to meet concerns about self-harm. There is language in the FGI Behavioral Health environment of care about allowing for visual & acoustical privacy. There are no specifics about how you achieve that privacy. Conversations include patient dignity.
I would think operational guidance would prohibit the use of a peep hole into a toilet room.
Thank you,
I had to recently look into the legal issues around the peephole situation. Though it is not what i would recommend, the legal definition of invasion of privacy does privide some guardrails. At least for California’s penal code there are definitions around intent to invade privacy for voyeurism and the reasonable expectation of privacy, which can be handled through consent. Again, we would recommend safer bathroom design and antibarricade access and staff nearby rather than peephole as a solution.