Why Is It Important To Maintain Patient Confidentiality

This assignment looks at a legal and ethical issue in the healthcare setting. It will focus on the principle of confidentiality and how it relates to healthcare. Maintaining confidentiality is one of the fundamental components every health care professional must respect. It is both a legal and ethical responsibility of a health professional to understand the importance of maintaining client confidentiality. Learning to establish a balance between maintaining personal protection and administering efficient health care can be a difficult task.

According to the New Zealand Code of Ethics, confidentiality is applied to any written or spoken information, or of observed body language, acquired through privileged access. (New Zealand Nurses Organisation,
Depending on the area that they work, these mechanisms may vary, but there are always ones in place. Utilising the appropriate places to store confidential documentation is essential. By ensuring patients notes stay in the designated shelfs helps maintain confidentiality, so that they cannot get into the wrong hands. The use of padlocked bins is effective in disposing of confidential information. It is important to bring awareness and remind health care professionals to dispose of information, to ensure it does not get into the wrong hands. Sharing information should be on a need to know basis. It should only be shared with the patients themselves or other health care professionals in direct contact with the patient. It is essential to ask the patient’s permission to share information they have provided before sharing it with other health care professionals. It is important to support the patient’s freedom of choice to make informed consent. (New Zealand Nurses Organisation, 2010) Maintaining patient confidentiality does not only involve complex aspects. Simply closing the patient’s curtain or lowering your voice when talking to them can help patients feel safe. It is when health care professionals utilise these simple, yet effective techniques that true trust is