In light of the recent Pokémon GO craze, Texas Children’s wants to remind employees about our policies and our continued responsibility to promote a safe environment for our patients and their families while they are in our care.
A recently released mobile game called Pokémon GO encourages players to use their smartphones’ GPS and cameras to catch virtual Pokémon in various and unexpected locations. This game encourages players to wander in public places in search of Pokémon characters.
It has been reported the app is being downloaded and played at Texas Children’s locations, and some Pokémon characters are showing up at our locations including patient care and secured areas. As a result, this could potentially lead to many unsafe situations for our patients, their families and our employees. This includes:
Patient and family safety
- Patients leaving their patient care areas without telling caretakers or parents
- Patients entering unsecure/dangerous areas
- Patient photos being posted to social media without knowledge/consent
- Strangers entering Texas Children’s facilities with the sole reason to play Pokémon GO
- Malware affecting their smartphones
Employee risks
- All of the above
- Leaving patient care areas
- Violation of the following:
- Use of Social Media Policy
- Wireless Acceptable Use IM Policy
- Employee Conduct Policy
- Patient Photography Procedure
- Patient Photography Policy
Information Services (IS) risks
- App’s ability to compromise network’s security
- Malware infecting the network
- Productivity loss
There are no acceptable circumstances where the app may be downloaded or played at any Texas Children’s location.
Please be aware of the above risks and possible policy violations. IS has put measures in place to block this application from our networks; however, individuals may still have access to the app via their personal data plans. Information will be distributed to patients and families as well.