When you go into a hospital, even for something as simple as a broken leg, you have an expectation that your documents are only to be used by your physicians and nurses. At the very least, you don’t expect that your X-rays and records will end up being used — with no attempt made to hide your identity — in a college class.

According to CtWatchdog.com, a part-time radiology tech at a hospital in Waterbury, CT, has also been teaching a class in a local community college’s radiology technicians program, and apparently he was using X-rays taken from the hospital without patients’ permission.

The instructor was caught after one of his students contacted the Boston office of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The student said the instructor had told his pupils to keep his use of hospital materials a secret and not to take photos during class.

That’s probably because the X-rays he showed students included information like full names, dates of birth, and notes from physicians.

Both the hospital and the college tell CtWatchdog that the practice has stopped, though the site reports that the instructor is still employed by the school.

Waterbury Saint Mary’s Hospital Patient X-Rays, Medical Information, Used By Radiology Tech Students Without Permission [CtWatchdog.com]

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