Question

SCENARIO #1

A patient is taken into an examination room and informs the medical assistant that she overheard a conversation between two of the receptionists talking about a dear friend of hers who has been diagnosed with colon cancer. The patient is very upset because she is just now hearing the news from strangers (the receptionists) and the patient had no idea that her friend was even sick. She made the statement “I wonder if you all talk about me when I am not in the office. Maybe I should switch physicians”.  

Question 1: What is wrong with this scenario?

Question 2: What can be done to correct the problem and ensure that each patient is treated with confidentiality?

Answer 1

1. In this scenario, the patient feels that her care providers violates the patient's right to keep medical details confidential and violation of her friend's privacy. She was shocked to hear her friend's situation from hospital workers and addition to that, She fears, her health care providers might do the same. Confidentiality is one of the most important quality that health care team must follow and that's destroyed here and along with that patient's trust in the centre too.

2.Here, reassure her that they will look in to what happened and take necessary actions against those who involved. In a hospital setting we can maintain confidentiality by,

• Make policies about patient information sharing. Teach and train the staff regarding importance of confidentiality and it's legal consequences.
• Make discussions regarding patient information in a private setting.
• Keep medical records locked and make sure the system is secured enough.