Applying Ethical Framework in Practice

The ethical principle of confidentiality demands nondisclosure of private or secret information about another person with which one is entrusted. In hospital settings, nurses have the responsibility to maintain patient’s private information confidential and sharing only those information that are necessary to provide patient care. According to the ICN Code of Ethics for

Nurses (2006), “The nurse holds in confidence personal information and uses judgment in sharing this information.” Maintaining confidentiality of patients is an expression of respect of persons and, in many ways, is essential to the nurse-patient relationship (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008, p. 67-68). It is essential for nurses to understand how to approach ethical issues in a manner that least affects the patient confidentiality.

The purpose is to identify the possible reasons why confidentiality may be broken in some cases. In the article “Bioethics on NBC’s ER: Betraying Trust or Providing Good Care? When is it okay to Break Confidentiality?”(Nathanson, 2000), the author is discussing an ethical issue that brings ethical conflict for an ER nurse. This ER nurse promised to keep their confidentiality information to two young girls who are reluctant to seek medical advice for suspected sexually transmitted diseases. Unfortunately, one 14 year old girl is diagnosed with not only Human papillomavirus but also with cervical cancer due to participating in “sex parties” with multiple partners. The diagnosis of cervical cancer for a minor put the nurse Hathaway in ethical dilemma. In this case, Nurse Hathaway has to decide whether to keep the patient confidentiality or to inform the parents and school officials in order to ensure proper treatment for all individ...

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...n. Ethical dilemmas arise in hospital setting on a daily basis. Nurses should be educated about the nursing code of ethics and to seek help from ethics committee in resolving the ethical dilemmas. It is nurses responsibility to gain trust from patients by providing adequate information about how confidentiality is maintained in hospital settings.

References

American Nurses Association. (2010). Code of Ethics for Nurses. Retrieved October 09, 2011, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.aspx

Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2008). Ethics &Issues in Contemporary Nursing (3rd ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Nathanson, P. G. (2000). Betraying Trust or Providing Good Care? When is it okay to break confidentiality? Retrieved from http://www.bioethics.net/articles.php?viewCat=7&articleId=133