Why Is Patient Confidentiality Important

When looking at the medical field, it is obvious that there are many rules and regulations. Whether it is the oath to do no harm or the promise to always be professional, anyone practicing medicine can attest to the fact that there are many guidelines. All guidelines are very important. However, arguably the most important guideline which applies to all medical workers is patient confidentiality. Patient confidentiality, in compliance with HIPAA, is beneficial because it keeps the patient’s morale and dignity safe, creates trust between the patient and physician, and allows the patient to be autonomous.
HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability, was implemented in 1996 by Congress. One can say that HIPAA is probably one
When looking at medicine, specifically patient care, one detail that can be seen is that patient care is highly based off of ethics. “Confidentiality is one of the core duties of medical practice. It requires health care providers to keep a patient’s personal health information private unless consent to release the information is provided by the patient” (Bord). Revealing the details of a patient’s health-related problems to another individual can lead to problems in the patient’s life. That is why, making sure that patient confidentiality is upheld helps to improve the quality of patient care provided. In relation to medical ethics, patient confidentiality leads to the emotional well-being of a patient. A breach in confidentiality can lead to shame in the society of a patient. This shame can lead to more health-related problems in their life, something which is against the purpose of healthcare organizations and medical workers. Making sure that confidentiality is met helps keep the patient’s head up in society. There is no stress added on top of their previous stress regarding their medical problems. “Breaches of privacy and confidentiality not only may affect a person’s dignity, but can cause harm. When personally identifiable health information, for example, is disclosed to an employer, insurer, or family member, it can result in stigma,
The first and foremost negative consequence of patient confidentiality and its rules is that the chance of job loss for a physician os very high. Because determining whether or not a physician has breached confidentiality is aa very gray area. There are no specific guidelines as to when it might be ok for a physician to refer to the better judgement of another specialist when it comes to a patient. Many other “codes” in medicine may counter patient confidentiality. For example, a doctor may be trying to do what is best for their patient by asking another physician about a special case. However, that is considered a breach in patient confidentiality. This could lead to the job loss of a doctor, when the main motive was to help their patient to the best of their abilities. In regards to family relations, patient confidentiality can be very harmful. Going back to the rules of privacy and confidentiality, only authorized people such as the patient and physician, may see the medical file. This ends up keeping the patient’s family and loved ones in the dark. “While there may be cases where the physician feels naturally inclined to share information, such as responding to an inquiring spouse, the requirements for making an exception to confidentiality may not be met” (Nass). Keeping a patient’s records hidden from his/her family member can lead to distrust between the patient and their