Confidentiality: Ethics and Patient
How Ethics Affects Nursing Practice
Wenda Johnson
Grand Canyon University
NRS 437 V-Ethical Decision Making
January 20th 2011
How Ethics Affects Nursing Practice In the nursing profession we have a respect for our patients but obtaining trust and maintaining the confidentiality of the patient’s information has been established from years ago starting with the Oath of Hippocratic. The patient’s confidentiality includes protecting any information the patient divulges to medical personal, and not disclosing or sharing the information to others. If trust is betrayed, the patient’s would not feel comfortable to share their privet and personal information. Our profession is founded on trust and providing good care, and there are limited reasons in our profession to break our patient’s trust. A confidentiality breach brings up ethical implications and issues. A breach of confidentiality is disclosure of information to a third party without obtaining an informed consent or a court order. The disclosure of information can be electronically, telephone, fax information, written or orally shared. If this type of disclosure of the patient’s information is shared to unauthorized persons, there are legal implications. The state and federal laws protect the patient’s rights, and in the medical field we have principles of morality, to do the right or correct thing for the patient. An understanding of implications to protect the patient pertains to dealing with morals in a proper conduct. The ethical principles that define nursing are autonomy, beneficence, confidentiality, fidelity, justice, nonmaleficence, and veracity. These principles protect and promote the patient’s rights by promoting self-governing, ensuring the nurses act in a way that benefits the patient, respecting the patient’s personal information, and establishing faithfulness and keeping promises. As well as providing appropriate, fair, and equitable treatment, causing no harm, and telling the
Wenda Johnson
Grand Canyon University
NRS 437 V-Ethical Decision Making
January 20th 2011
How Ethics Affects Nursing Practice In the nursing profession we have a respect for our patients but obtaining trust and maintaining the confidentiality of the patient’s information has been established from years ago starting with the Oath of Hippocratic. The patient’s confidentiality includes protecting any information the patient divulges to medical personal, and not disclosing or sharing the information to others. If trust is betrayed, the patient’s would not feel comfortable to share their privet and personal information. Our profession is founded on trust and providing good care, and there are limited reasons in our profession to break our patient’s trust. A confidentiality breach brings up ethical implications and issues. A breach of confidentiality is disclosure of information to a third party without obtaining an informed consent or a court order. The disclosure of information can be electronically, telephone, fax information, written or orally shared. If this type of disclosure of the patient’s information is shared to unauthorized persons, there are legal implications. The state and federal laws protect the patient’s rights, and in the medical field we have principles of morality, to do the right or correct thing for the patient. An understanding of implications to protect the patient pertains to dealing with morals in a proper conduct. The ethical principles that define nursing are autonomy, beneficence, confidentiality, fidelity, justice, nonmaleficence, and veracity. These principles protect and promote the patient’s rights by promoting self-governing, ensuring the nurses act in a way that benefits the patient, respecting the patient’s personal information, and establishing faithfulness and keeping promises. As well as providing appropriate, fair, and equitable treatment, causing no harm, and telling the
References: American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (2004). Title of article. Title of Periodical, vol(issue), pages. Author, A. A. (2005). Title of work. Location: Publisher. Note: Detailed information on references can be found in the APA Manual, Chapter 4.