Patient Confidentiality
Patient confidentiality is used to define the information which is held generally under legal and ethical obligation of a patient. This information should not under any circumstance be given out or disclosed without the informed consent of the patient. Of course there are the exceptions to this rule. Without the explicit consent of the patient can be breached.
One way is if there are reasonable grounds on which to do so. Be it to protect their family, the community or the patient themselves. Another instant where this can be breached is if it is considered democratically correct to do so.
This is especially the case wherein it may affect others and finally if there is the absolute need to do so. Ultimately each of the listed are put in place to protect those who may suffer from non - disclosure. Other than these circumstances, in simple terms maintaining patient confidentiality is a legal obligation under law, it has been established with all professions more specifically medical codes of conduct and it is also linked to employment contracts of a medical nature as a requirement.
You may or may not have heard of the Hippocratic Oath. It's an oath that is required to be taken by a medical practitioner which binds him or her by repeating , ""[a]ll that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and never reveal."
We all are patients or have been patients either in hospital or simply going to get a check up at our local General Practitioners office. We entrust these institutions with rather very sensitve information about ourselves relating to our health as well as personal matters, if it is the case that we see a therapist or psychologist.
All this we do in confidence and we trust too that staff working in such environments do their best in protecting our very sensitive and personal information. Patient confidentiality is by no means meaningless or lessened even if the patient in question becomes unconscious. In all respects it is of extreme importance that the level of patient confidentiality is upheld at all times , under all circumstances.