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The need for effective communication in healthcare
Privacy and confidentiality for patients
The need for effective communication in healthcare
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Theses steps are imperative to maintaining the patient’s privacy. When disclosing
Healthcare providers and organizations are obligated and bound to protect patient confidentiality by laws and regulations. Patient information may only be disclosed to those directly involved in the patient’s care or those the patient identifies as able to receive the information. The HIPAA Act of 1996 is the federal law mandating healthcare organizations and clinicians to safeguard patient’s medical information. This law corresponds with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act to include security standards for protecting electronic health information. The healthcare organization is legally responsible for establishing procedures to prevent data
She advocates for the goal of disclosure and an atmosphere of openness, hoping to restore trust between the physician and the patient. Communicating truthful information, even if it may be life-changing, will promote more beneficial medical practices. However, she also acknowledges that there may be cases in which concealment of information may be necessary. In such cases, Bok suggests that truthful information should go to someone closely related to the patient which will promote a more open and trusting environment. A concern arises, then, about what the physician should do if the patient explicitly communicates that they do not want to be told about a diagnosis or treatment option even if it may better promote their
A moral dilemma that arises in a doctor-patient relationship is whether or not the doctor should always tell their patient the truth about their health. Although withholding information was a common practice in the past, in today’s world, patient autonomy is more important than paternalism. Many still are asking if it is ever morally permissible for a doctor to lie to a patient, though. David C. Thomasma writes that truth-telling is important as a right, a utility, and a kindness, but other values may be more important in certain instances. The truth is a right because respect for the person demands it.
Electronic Health Records and Patient Confidentiality Technology has become an essential part of our everyday life therefore, it makes sense that doctors and hospitals get rid of the old fashioned paper charting and use technology to access patient records. Electronic health records (EHR) provide quick access to information, as doctors no longer have to wait for other providers to fax previous records to them. The accessibility of Electronic Health Records assist medical providers to make quick medical care decisions, by accessing previous care provided to patients including treatment and diagnosis. Quick access to information through EHR enables health care providers to treat patients faster as there is no need for records to be mailed or
B. Informed Consent and Truth-Telling Hippocrates advocated “concealing most things from the patient while you are attending to him…revealing nothing of the patient’s future or present condition.” This attitude would undoubtedly be troublesome today. Competent adult patients have a moral and legal right not to be subjected to medical interventions without their informed and voluntary consent, but to seeking appropriate treatment for their autonomy also. Lying or withholding information from patients can seriously undermine their ability to make informed decisions about life-altering treatments. In order to give their informed consent and exercise their right of self-determination, patients must have access to all relevant information.
One of the most practical challenges is that it makes the professionals to compromise the ethical and moral standards that guides the profession. The rules in the initiatives gives authority for the disclosure of health information to several users of the information without the knowledge or the consent of the consumers (HHS, 2014). This is a loophole that exposes the patients to numerous ethical dilemmas that predispose the experts to situations that may require them to make difficult
Two Encountered Dilemmas One ethical dilemma that mental health counselors encounter would be institutional policies against disclosure (Substance Abuse and mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2005). In addition, it is important for counselors to identify their clients. Moreover, counselors may have one legal client, but faced with several ethical clients. Disclosure of information of client’s confidentiality need to be protected by counselors, which can be difficult when information has been court ordered.
Confidentiality in the healthcare field is a patient’s vital and mandatory entitlement to the distribution of their medical records. This right is otherwise regarded as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which pronounces the protection of patients in several aspects such as healthcare accessibility, the prevention of healthcare fraud, etc. Due to the law’s commitment to protecting the consumer, it is absolutely essential for the medical profession to become fully aware of the HIPAA law and its policies. The ideology of confidentiality and the HIPAA law possess several issues, including the progression of the concept, confidentiality in minors, and the consequences of disregarding the legislation.
Confidentiality means keeping private information safe and only sharing this information with people who need to know. Confidentiality is keeping a confidence between the client and the practitioner which is an important part of good care practice. Confidentiality is that it helps to build and develop trust. It is also important not to show anyone other than those who should or need to know. If confidentiality is broken then they will not trust the health social care early year providers and may not share important information with them in the future.
Patients have a right to privacy and non-interference. The healthcare professionals are obligated to give needed information to patients and relate the risks, and the benefits of a test/treatment. The detail information given will allow the patient to make the best decision on what he/she chooses to do. Hiding information about a diagnosis or not revealing the potential complications because a patient may refuse care seems unethical. Patients have the right to know about their health to make informed
With so much terror being spread in the world today governments are beginning to closely monitor the internet usage of their citizens. The major question is: are governments overstepping and breaching the privacy of their citizens? Obviously, the laws in each country are different but the definition to one’s base privacy, as described by Donald M. Gillmor, who alone has written many different law textbooks used in many different universities, and other very respected professors came together to write the Mass Communication Law: Cases and Comments defined privacy as "individuals are entitled to protect personal, intimate aspects of their lives from use or interference by others. " To give a valid argument it also needs to be stated how the government
If we as nurses respect the confidentiality of a patient, we should do so for all the patients. However, Griffith (2007) argues that the duty of confidence should not be absolute and nurses should always consider sharing information if required. Though the principle of respecting patient autonomy and their right to confidentiality is broken here, the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence is uphold. Nurses have an obligation to protect patient’s confidentiality but the duty to warn an innocent party of imminent harm is far more critical. Therefore, breaking confidentiality here is potentially doing more good than
Truth telling and confidentiality depend upon the situations. It is right to tell the truth in certain but it is also right to hide something from the patients in certain situations. According to utilitarianism one should usually tell the truth and keep one’s promise because you should always perform an action that provides maximum utility and if keeping a promise and telling the truth makes someone happy then it is providing maximum utility.
Confidentiality is very important with sensitive health matters and if this was not in place, how many issues would go untreated because of that. Infectious and sexually transmitted disease would top the list
