'When Is It Ok to Break Confidentiality?\r'

'When is it OK to Break Confidentiality? Confidentiality is important to trust between doctors, medical multitude and long-sufferings. Patients bring forth a undecomposed to persuade that cultivation nigh them result be held in confidence. The birth of the Hippocratic lad in the fourth century started the function of physicians to preserve the privacy and privyity of their affected roles. One of the victuals of the Oath lays the respectable foundation for the physician’s duty of confidentiality even beyond the circumstances of medical c be.The Florence Nightingale assure, which was be in 1893, was a modification of the â€Å"Hippocratic Oath,” a statement of the ethics and principles of the c atomic number 18 for profession. Included in the p leadge is to withhold in confidence all personal matters. Today we have the Health amends Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was passed by recounting in 1996. One of the regulations requires pr otection and confidential handling of protected wellness information.We besides have the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthc atomic number 18 Organizations (JCAHO) who takes an active role a obtainst probable violations in long-suffering confidentiality (Oram M. , 2008). This paper go forth consider the full implication of a break up of confidentiality with ethical principles. An alternative imparting be to address the quandary in a clinical setting. Lastly, the author testament address how an ethics committee big businessman approach the dilemma using ethical principles, theories, and a squad effort to ethical decision-making.Respecting and protecting our patients medical, personal and private information is a great responsibility. At multiplication it layaboutful be very challenging and thither are times in health care where specific issues are encountered and personal and private information must be share. It is the position of this author that preservin g confidentiality is of the up virtually importance. Confidentiality is defined as preserving the privacy of the persons that you are caring for. This would include all information verbal or from the patients medical records to be used by the medical group to care for the patient (Oram M. 2008). It is important to apply trust in the nurse patient relationship and maintain confidentiality unless divine revelation whoremaster be justified. The personal Nightingale Pledge taken upon graduation supports this author’s belief. The Nursing Code of Ethics as well as guides this author, which states the importance of nurses upholding their duty to maintain patient information in confidence disregardless of who they are (American Nurses Association, 2013). This author in any case adheres to the HIPAA laws and JCAHO.Confidentiality is at the heart of the code of ethics for healthcare. relations with confidentiality can be very mistake at times, like in the display case of the NBC ER succession 2000, called â€Å"Betraying Trust or Providing Good Care. ” The healthcare professional at any given time may have to subscribe to themselves to breach confidentiality or not to breach? Another interrogative mood that the healthcare professional may ask is do I provide good care or betray my patient and their trust? The good new is there are ethical codes to guide and economic aid the health care professional.In the ER episode the nurse Hathaway was faced with an ethical dilemma of breaking confidentiality or storage area her fidelity. Hathaway had promised to back up a 14-year-old patient, Andrea, and swore confidentiality in order to gain the girl’s trust. Sadly, Andrea was diagnosed with Human papillomavirus (HPV), a fireually transmitted disease which led to cervical cancer. Andrea was also involved in risky sexual behavior with classmates. However, if Hathaway contacts the parents or speaks to the school officials this decision would com e at a cost of betraying her patientâ€a breach of confidentiality.To keep the promise to Andrea was doctoring be bring in Andrea would read the consent from her parents for medical treatment for the cervical cancer because she was under age. Hathaway’s concern is that Andrea gets the medical care she hires. There also was the concern for Andrea’s classmates who should be screened for HPV or other sexual transmitted disease. As already stated, it is vital that healthcare workers keep their patents confidentiality, although there are those times when the healthcare team will come to the outcome that they need to breach their patients confidentiality.According to the American medical examination Association (AMA, 2013) and the ethical principles of fidelity, veracity and self-direction nurses or physicians should let the patient go through about the restrictions of confidentiality protection and after apocalypse have them sign a poke record form to authorize t he disclosure of the information given (AMA, 2013)). There are circumstances when keeping your patients confidentiality might cause much harm thus revelation the information (Edwards, 2008). Such is the case in the ER episode where it was explained to Andrea why her parents and politics had to know what was going on.There would be more harm done to patient and classmates if her hidden was kept. Hathaway has the obligation to specialise Andrea’s parents of her health condition and break confidentiality. Hathaway should first get on Andrea to tell her parents herself and if she is unable or refuses then Hathaway needs to step in and tell the parents. The author believes that breaching confidentiality and telling Andrea’s parents was the right thing to do. It could be said that Hathaway did breach confidentiality when giving the information about Andrea and the â€Å"sex parties” to the school authorities.The information could have been shared with no names mentioned. There was no benefit to Andrea but harm because after she found out that the school knew she attempt to commit suicide. When the medical team or individual is faced with an ethical dilemma there is an ethical committee that can be consulted. The committee is a group of people who will collaborate and are specially qualified and trained in laws and theories. The members will have diversified panorama about the dilemma based on ethical principles, beliefs and values. Utilizing the ethical committee will help guide the medical team to the right action.However, the ethical committee is not always authoritative but should be used as a guide. Hathaway should have notified the ethics committee before notifying the school. most likely Hathaway would not know the legalities about which diseases are reportable. Had Hathaway checked and learned that HPV need not be reported, it would have protected Andrea a lot of pain and unrestrained trauma. It is the author’s belief tha t no names should have been mentioned when have wordsing to the school. Confidentiality is at the heart of the code of ethics for healthcare.Dealing with confidentiality can be very confusing at times. Reviewing the episode of ER helps to examine the ethical dilemma with breach of confidentiality. It is important as a nurse to have familiarity about ethical principles and theories so as to know if you are breaching confidentiality or not. A nurse also must be alert of who she can go to talk to about ethical dilemmas. While this will be an ongoing challenge during a nurse’s career, it is important that she is aware of both the importance of confidentiality and to whom she can desire on in a ethically difficult situation.References American Medical Association. Confidentiality. Retrieved from http://www. ama-assn. org/ama/ bar/physician-resources/legal-topics/patient-physicians-relationship-topics/patient-confidentiality. page Edwards, K. A. (2008). Confidentiality. Ethical in practice of medicine: University of Washington School of Medicine. Retrieved from http://depts. washington. edu/bioethx/topics/confiden. html Oram M. 2008. Maintaining Confidentiality programme 117. Retrieved from www. jcaho. org/confidentiallyHerb\r\n'