encourages the healthcare team to take precautions to ensure that only authorized access occurs. In spite of the precautions; there are still circumstances that challenge the scope of information subject to confidentiality.
One strong argument here is during the times of terminal illness. It is natural for the healthcare team to discuss information with the family in terms of how the patient is doing. In such time like responding to an inquiring spouse, the requirements of confidentiality are difficult to achieve. Generally, it is unethically and unjustifiable to discuss any information without the permission of the patient. Nevertheless, it is still the obligation of the patient to inform the spouse about the status of health and any information related to the diagnosis.
Another example of unintentional and
…show more content…
It is believed that the expectations with regard to, what is confidential, or not greatly underlie in the cultural context. For example, in the western culture, we respect the privacy of the grieving family by custom, and consider “genitalia” as private. On the other hand, in the other cultural practices call for grief to be performed or enacted publicly. The private parts which need to be covered in a particular time, or with whom, also endorsed based on rules, religion and tradition.
Goffman clearly indentified that the fear of being stigmatized is the major concern. In his terminology, people who are known to have an existing impairment are “discredited” while those with disabilities which are not apparent fears disclosure and “discreditable.”
In this modern context, a potential hack to any database may be a challenge for hospitals maintaining electronic health records. Records protected by lock and key in the past are still
Confidentiality is a major topic within care environments. When it comes to deciding what information is shared and who it is shared amongst can be difficult. Confidential information, is information that is ‘not to be told to anyone’ (The Open University, 2015, p. 58). Information that is sensitive or not publicly known is confidential, also if information is given by a person who is in a setting where confidentially is expected then that information should remain private and not shared with others. It can be very difficult for a staff member to find the balance between knowing what information is confidential and appropriate information that needs to be shared between the staff team.
With today's use of electronic medical records software, information discussed in confidence with your doctor(s) will be recorded into electronic data files. The obvious concern is the potential for your records to be seen by hundreds of strangers who work in health care, the insurance industry, and a host of businesses associated with medical organizations. Fortunately, this catastrophic scenario will likely be avoided. Congress addressed growing public concern about privacy and security of personal health data, and in 1996 passed “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA). HIPAA sets the national standard for electronic transfers of health data.
Each nurse has a duty to protect the patient as well as their right to privacy and confidentiality (ANA, 2011). Each nurse should advocate for an environment that provides sufficient physical activity, including privacy for discussions of a personal nature (ANA, 2011). It is a nurse’s responsibility to maintain confidentiality of all patient information. If this standard is not maintained, the patient’s well- being could be jeopardized. The patient’s rights, well-being, and safety should be the primary factors concerning information received orally, written, and electronically (ANA, 2011). It is the nurse’s responsibility to be...
Health care and health care information are turning to become unity and are working together to facilitate improvement of health care quality and equity. Therefore, health providers and other relevant stakeholders must strive to put in place strong measures capable of effecting heightened privacy and security precautions. More transparency must also be ensured when medical care organizations and institutions are handling patient’s medical data.
6. Should individuals and organizations with access to the databases be identified to the patient
Without patient confidentiality, patients would not be willing to tell about themselves or their family member for fear of it getting out (tTelegraph). If they were asked
The meaning of patient confidentiality is that personal and medical information that are provided to the providers of health care cannot be disclosed to others not unless the patient has provided authorization for the release. In fact permission is not supposed to be granted to health care professionals to disclose the patient’s medical information. This is because there could be professional or personal problems by disclosing the medical information of the patients for patients depends on the physicians in keeping private their medical information, American Psychological Association (2003).
In today’s society with the blogs, the gossip sites and the other forms of social media, confidentiality is a thing of the past. However, for, physicians and other health professionals, they are held to a higher standard to maintain a level of ethics and confidentiality for their patients. Confidentiality is a major duty for a health professional, but is there ever a time to where it is okay to tell what a patient says in confident? What if the patient is a minor, or a senior citizen or someone who is mentally challenged? What if a patient is being abused or wants to commit suicide? Does it matter if it is a nurse, or a dentist, or a psychologist or is all medical professional held to the same moral standard? What roles does a consent form or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act plays in the medical world in being confidentiality? I would like to explore Confidentiality and the moral effects it has on the health profession.
The next problem related to telemedicine relates to security and private breaches. In order for telemedicine to work properly it requires that sensitive patient information be transferred from location to location that may be quite a dista...
The guidance explains and clarifies key provisions of the medical privacy regulation, which was published last December (HIPAA, 1996). Guaranteeing the accuracy, security, and protection of the privacy of all medical information is crucial and an ongoing challenge for many organizations. References American Medical Association (2005). Retrieved December 7, 2008, from http://www.ad http://www.ama-assn.org/.
Confidentiality in health care is a growing concern as nurses are often faced with the challenges of reacting to question regarding patient’s progress (McGowan, 2012). Confidentiality as defined by Gregory, Raymond-Seniuk, Patrick and Stephen (2015) is the promise given to a person that his or her personal information will not be disclosed randomly if no consent has been given regardless of who is seeking such information (p.600). This paper will attempt to explore the concept of confidentiality as a sensitive issue, challenges that nurses face as they try to protect patient’s health information and some guidelines that govern protection of information and when this information can be divulged.
Patient confidentiality is one of the foundations of the medical practice. Patients arrive at hospitals seeking treatment believing that all personal information will remain between themselves and the medical staff. In order to assure patients privacy, confidentiality policies were established. However, a confidentiality policy may be broken only in the case the medical staff believes that the patient is a danger to themselves or to others in society. Thesis Statement: The ethics underlying patient confidentiality is periodically questioned in our society due to circumstances that abruptly occur, leaving health professionals to decide between right and wrong.
In most cases privacy and security risks apply to both paper and electronic records. With the growing demand for the electronic health record (EHR) system, the transfer from paper to electronic can be risky. For this project we were asked to compare and contrast the security issues between maintenance of paper medical records and the EHR system, also we were asked to discuss what requirements and issues need to be considered when doing a conversion to an EHR.
Our ultimate goal is to keep all clients safe from harm, by protecting their health and privacy to the best of our capability. Knowingly, there is no end to data breaching. Having the intense knowledge and understanding of how to minimize that affect will help save thousands of patients’ identities from disablement. Prevention is key. Professionals need to treat EHR as HIPAA i.e. tablets, laptops, cellphones used in healthcare settings continually locked when not in use. A healthcare professional must keep all of their passwords private from family, friends, and social media without exception. Nurses also need to change their password as often as viable and follow the recommended HIPAA law of practice. Using common sense and good judgment is important. Safe guarding passwords, being aware of your surroundings at all times and learning to correctly log in and out of all devices, is valuable in keeping all information stable as possible. Careless misuse of protecting information can cause risk of breaching. Healthcare workers must remain confidential and alert. Hackers remain a threat; however, professional workers can contribute to patients’ protection by daily practice of the right procedures to reduce data breaching. Nurses in today’s technological society must adhere to the policies and procedures to protect patient health records by providing quality care for patients. We stand on the fight
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), Confidential Information and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA), and the Freedom of Information Act all provide legal protection under many laws. It also involves ethical protection. The patient must be able to completely trust the healthcare provider by having confidence that their information is kept safe and not disclosed without their consent. Disclosing any information to the public could be humiliating for them. Patient information that is protected includes all medical and personal information related to their medical records, medical treatments, payment records, date of birth, gender, and