Essay On Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the protection of personal information. Confidentiality means keeping a client's information between you and the patient, and not telling others including friends and family. (Learning, n.d.). For example, the information about a child suffering from Cystic Fibrosis should not be disclosed to anyone other than the child and his/her parents.

Confidentiality involves restricting patient’s information and not disclosing personal data of patients indiscriminately. For example, telling friends and talking about patients in a place where information can be overheard or leaving patients information lying around is a breach of confidentiality. Information that could be considered ‘confidential’ include name, date of birth, height, weight, medical history and so on.

Data Protection are measures taken to ensure confidentiality
Anyone can request information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live (GOV.UK). The Act that enforces this is called the Freedom of Information Act and it is aimed at “[making] provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing services for them and to amend the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Public Records Act 1958; and for connected purposes” (Wikipedia, n.d.).

However, there are some exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act which means information cannot be provided to the public in cases where it is clearly stated in The Freedom of Information Act, limited in number and if it is used where some harm might be caused if the information is released to the public (Archives, n.d.). This could affect the treatment of the patient is being affected by the information being withheld by this act. Although it is very useful, the exemptions provide a downside which means that sometimes information which could be useful to the patient may be held