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Privacy in the pharmacy environment: analysis of observations from inside the pharmacy.

OBJECTIVE
To measure the extent to which pharmacist-patient conversations are private.


DESIGN
Cross sectional.


SETTING
New York State, April to June 2007.


PARTICIPANTS
No individual participants were enrolled; the study consisted of observations of the pharmacy environment and pharmacy patient-staff interactions.


INTERVENTION
Measurement of privacy-related distances in the pharmacy.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Distance between patients at the pharmacy counter and staff behind the counter, distance between patient waiting area and pharmacy counter, and distance that a pharmacy counter conversation was audible.


RESULTS
Observational data were recorded from 597 pharmacy staff-patient interactions in 282 pharmacies across New York State. Of the 597 interactions, 167 occurred while a second patient was within 6 ft. Of the 282 pharmacies, pharmacy staff-patient conversations were audible to observers more than 6 ft away in 229 pharmacies; 142 could be heard more than 15 ft away.


CONCLUSION
Most staff-patient conversations in the pharmacy setting are not private and, as a result, have a high potential for incidental protected health information disclosures.