Applying Ethical Framework in Practice

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Applying Ethical Framework in Practice 1. Ethical implications of a breach of confidentiality Ethics is the concept of right and wrong and thus it is difficult to come to a universal standpoint as to what should be right and wrong. In the context of the medical field, professionals are constantly engaged in accessing very delicate and sensitive information about people and patients. Thus, such professionals are regularly facing the circumstances in regards to concepts such as confidentiality and privacy. Keeping such private and sensitive information confidential can be a challenge both legally and ethically (Boylan, 2013). When we mean a challenge ethically, we refer to the concept of whether such private information can be easily shared and discussed with others by the medical professionals who have access to it. We discuss these points with different perspectives below. Confidentiality or Privacy is essential in order to garner trustworthiness among physicians, healthcare professionals and patients. Patients possess the right to expect and know which details about them are will be kept with confidence (Hope, Hope, & Savulescu, 2008). As per University of Washington School of Medicine, there is no obligation of confidentiality to be mandatory under every circumstance (University of Washington, 1998). There are legal rules and regulations that protect the privacy of the patients as well as limit that privacy. Privacy can be breached under two circumstances. One is when there is a genuine concern for a person other than the patient. This person could be a child, spouse r even someone not related to the patient. The other circumstance where there could be a breach is when there is a real concern about the welfare of the general people. This can occur in the case when the patient has a highly communicable or infectious disease that may infest the general public if

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