Preview

Patient Confidentiality Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
324 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Patient Confidentiality Research Paper
Patient Confidentiality

Confidentiality revolves round how staff members handle confidential patient information. To enable healthcare practitioners fully understand the health condition of patients, there is the need on the part of the patient to disclose what otherwise could have been private and discreet information about them. The patients trust that whatever information is passed to the clinician is held in absolute confidence. And the clinician, in this wise, is duty bound to keep the information as confident as possible. This duty is not just an ethical obligation, but it is also a legal requirement binding all clinicians. It can then be said that patient information is generally held under legal as well as ethical obligation of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hhi135 Unit 4 Assignment

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A patient has the right to physical privacy and the right to the Healthcare provider to maintain confidentiality of patient information. The patient’s right to physical privacy is the right to be left alone. If they are competent they have the right to say they do not want to be examined; however then the physician or medical facility has the right to tell the patient to leave if they do not want to be examined or treated. In addition weather the patient is competent or not medical staff needs to respect the patient’s right to privacy; by keeping the patient information confidential by not releasing information to press, family and friends who are not…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This article presents a case study highlighting the conflict between an individual’s right to privacy and the rights of patients and staff to know when a professional standard has been breached. The process by which the administrator determines a course of action is reviewed in the context of workplace realities through an ethical analysis. The growth of information systems and the increased involvement of third parties in decision-making have created new issues regarding confidentiality and the release of sensitive information for health care personnel who are in a position of…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nurses are entrusted with very private information from patients and along with this the patient expects and the law requires this to be kept confidential The patient gives this information assuming and trusting that the information will be kept private and only used for medical treatment. A breach of confidentiality comes in when the patients’ information has been disclosed to a third party that is not directly involved in the patients care or given without appropriate consent from the patient. (American Medical Association, 2013). Confidentiality should always be maintained except in cases that the law requires reporting or where more harm may come to the patient by respecting this commitment. Some ethical…

    • 1385 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In essence, the physician 's duty to maintain confidentiality means that a physician may not disclose any medical information revealed by a patient or discovered by a physician in connection with the treatment of a patient. In general, AMA 's Code of Medical Ethics states that the information disclosed to a physician during the course of the patient-physician relationship is confidential to the utmost degree. As explained by the AMA 's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, the purpose of a physician 's ethical duty to maintain patient confidentiality is to allow the patient to feel free to make a full and frank disclosure of information to the physician with the knowledge that the physician will protect the confidential nature of the information disclosed. Full disclosure enables the physician to diagnose conditions properly and to treat the patient appropriately. In return for the patient 's honesty, the physician generally should not reveal confidential communications or information without the patient 's express consent unless required to disclose the information by law. There are exceptions to the rule, such as where a patient threatens bodily harm to himself or herself or to another person (AMA,…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When dealing confidentiality in this day in time, information systems are becoming high tech and more effective within the health care field as well as an increased involvement of third parties who share the decision process have created some problems in reference to patient confidentiality and the ability to release private information to the appropriate individuals. Confidentiality has a major impact on the administration due to the fact that jobs are at stake when a patient’s privacy has been violated. The population that is affected the most by this is everyone within the administration, meaning the physician as well as the employees. The physician may not disclose any medical information revealed by a patient or discovered by a physician in connection with the treatment of the patient (American Medical Association, 1995-2013). This is important because when patients feel they can trust their physician, he or she can have a better chance being diagnosed appropriately and treated effectively. Without trust, the physician will receive partial information and it will make it difficult to treat…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    - Confidentiality is both ethical and legal. At a legal standpoint it’s about keeping information of patient’s private and confidential in a way of showing respect for their privacy. The law that is in agree of the release of patients’ information is called HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).…

    • 89 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the United States, privacy and confidentiality are the basic rights of the society enshrined not only in professional practice codes of ethics but also in the constitution. Hence, nurses and for that matter, all health care professional have a legal, moral and ethical responsibility to protect patient's privacy.…

    • 268 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Is Hippa Important

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The physician’s physical ethical duty is to maintain patient confidentiality. They are obligated to maintain patient confidentiality and get permission from the…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Ethics 83% Grade

    • 4820 Words
    • 20 Pages

    Protecting the confidentiality of a patient with an infectious disease can be complex. On one hand health care professionals are expected to follow the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) Code of Conduct 2010 guidelines which stress the importance of protecting patient confidentiality: “you must respect people’s right to confidentiality” (2010, p.3) and making every effort to promote patients as individuals who should be treated with dignity and respect (2010, p.3). Health care professionals may find themselves in turmoil over whether their necessity to protect others from cross-infection overrides the duty of care to their patient by keeping their information confidential; particularly in this case (see Appendix A) where the patient, Sam, has a head injury, knowingly has the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and has told his nurse not to disclose this information with others over his fear of future career prospects.…

    • 4820 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    the organization. Disclosing is defined as releasing, transferring, provision of access and divulging in any…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethical theories and principles provide the foundation for all ethical behavior. Contemporary ethical principles have evolved from many different sources. “These include Aristotle and Aquinas’ natural law, Judeo-Christian mortality, Kant’s universal duties, and the values characterizing modern democracy.” (Wilkins, Stoller, & Kacmarek, 2009, p. 80) There is some controversy that exists however most ethicists agree that autonomy, veracity, nonmaleficence, beneficence, confidentiality, justice, and role fidelity to be the primary guiding principles in contemporary ethical decision making. Ethical principles in the professional setting have two components the professional duty and patients’ rights. The principles of autonomy acknowledge the patients personal liability and their right to decide their own course of treatment and follow a plan that they freely agree. It is from this principle that informed consent is from. Veracity binds the health care provider and the patient to tell the truth. The principle of nonmaleficence obligates the health care provides to avoid harming patients and to actively prevent harm when possible. The principle of beneficence raises the do no harm requirement to an even higher level. Beneficence requires that health care providers go beyond doing no harm and actively contribute to the health and well-being of their patients. The principle of confidentiality obliges health care providers to respect the secrets which are confided even after the patient has passed away. The principle of justice involves the fair distribution of care. Role duty looks at…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the health care field patient privacy and confidentiality are of the highest importance. Physicians need to maintain confidentiality and protect their patients’ privacy to keep the level of trust that is needed to provide efficient health care. Patients need to trust that their private health information will be kept confidential before they will disclose important health information to their physician. Because of this importance in 1996 Congress passed the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA has put laws and regulations in place to protect patient privacy and confidentiality. Despite HIPAA and its laws and regulations, maintaining patient confidentiality at all times in certain health care settings is not easy. One health care setting that is facing issues with patient confidentiality is psychosomatic medicine. In the article by Psychosomatics, Confidentiality in the Age of HIPAA: A Challenge for Psychosomatic Medicine it discusses the administrative issues relating to patient confidentiality. I will be discussing the issue and the population affected any potential solutions and how the solution is supported, the ethical and legal issues related to this administrative issue, and any managerial responsibilities associated with the issue.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Patient Confidentiality

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    For the past two weeks I have been working in a large surgical ward that has mass thoroughfare of people in and out of the ward - namely doctors, visitors and other allied health care staff. One method of Patient Confidentiality which I have encountered is the use of cavity lockers for each individual patient - which lock patients files and confidential information safely in the wall. In addition, these lockers are secured with a special sequential pin which is needed to open the locker in order to retrieve the contents from inside.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Patient Confidentiality

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Confidentiality and making patients feel confident in giving us their information. Confidentiality is taken advantage of every day by healthcare professionals. HIPAA states that healthcare professionals should not give information such as date of birth, patient name, or social security number. What about talking to your significant other or best friend about a patient you examined today with an ominous skin malady? You apprehend it every day in the healthcare field. Nurses talking to one another about a patient’s health. This is a breach of HIPAA criteria under the protected health information or PHI. Even if the patient’s name was not stated, the patient’s mental or physical state was told out of confidentiality to another person. This circumstance…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Introduction: The concept of “doctor-patient confidentiality” derives from English common law and is codified in many states’ statutes. It is based on ethics, not law, and goes at least as far back as the Roman Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians. It is different from “doctor-patient privilege,” which is a legal concept. Both, however, are called upon in legal matters to establish the extent by which ethical duties of confidentiality apply to legal privilege. Legal privilege involves the right to withhold evidence from discovery and/or the right to refrain from disclosing or divulging information gained within the context of a “special relationship.” Special relationships include those between doctors and patients, attorneys and clients, priests and confessors or confiders, guardians and their wards, etc.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays