14. BREACHING CONFIDENTIALITY Flashcards
- Can the hospital doctor share this information with the long-term care facility?
ONCE PATIENTS ARE ADMITTED TO THE MEDICAL SETTING:
- they sign a consent form
- this allows all of their information be shared amongst
the clinical team
- the doctor can share this information with the long
term care facility
- unless the patient explicitly outlines that they would
not like this information to be shared
- What are the 4 justifications for breaking Confidentiality?
- WITH THE PATIENT’S CONSENT
- IN THE PATIENT’S BEST INTERESTS
- if the patient is incompetent
- children - WITH REGARDS TO PUBLIC INTEREST
- public safety
- public health
- this is when the public interest in breaking
confidentiality outweighs the public interest in
maintaining confidentiality - DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
- that is required by the laws, courts and approved
through the statutory process
- that is required by the laws, courts and approved
- List 7 Statutory Requirements of the UK?
- Notifications of birth
- Still Births
- Deaths
- Termination of Pregnancy
- Fertility Treatment
- Notifiable and Communicable Diseases
- Poisonings and Serious Work Accidents
- List another 7 Statutory Requirements of the UK?
- Criminal Investigations
- Terrorism
- Child Abuse
- Court Orders
- DVLA
- Drug Addiction
- Traffic Accidents
- List 7 Particular Problems of Confidentiality?
- The Impaired Driver
- Abused Patient
- Patient with gunshot or knife wounds
- The drug dependent patient
- Request to report to the police
- Sexually Active Minor
- Communicable Diseases
- What is meant by the “Impaired Driver”?
- The Driver Vehicle and Driving Agency (DVLA)
establishes the fitness to drive - doctors have a professional obligation to ensure that
the DVLA is aware of anyone who is medically unfit
and unsafe to drive
- What is meant by the “Abused Patient”?
- these patients have limits to their intervention
- they are not considered fully capacious patients
IN THE CASE OF A CHILD:
- there is special guidance to report under Child
Protection and Safeguarding
- What is meant by the “Patient with gunshot or knife wounds”?
- doctors have to inform the police in these situations
- the doctors have to consider whether a patient poses a
risk of serious harm to others
- What is meant by the “The Drug Dependent Patient”?
- the Duty of Confidentiality to drug-abusing patients is
the same as with any other patient - the prescription of controlled drugs needs to be
recorded in the drug misuse database
- What is meant by the “Request to report to the police”?
IN GENERAL:
- there is no obligation to report to the police
- the police do not have automatic powers to demand
disclosure
THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS:
- this looks at personal identifiers vs clinical records
- it is a good doctor’s practice to ask for written
requests
EG: traffic accidents, serious crimes, terrorist acts
- What are the 3 ways in which you can breach confidentiality against a child’s wishes?
- Overriding Public Interest
- Best Interest of the Incompetent Child
- Disclosure that is required by the Law
- What can be said about the duties of Confidentiality with regards to children and young people?
- the same duties of confidentiality apply when using,
sharing or disclosing information about children and
young people as with adults
- What is meant by “Sexually Active Minor”?
- this is a case of abuse vs consent
- there is a fear about confidentiality and this deters
some teenagers from seeking early sexual health
advice - young people need to trust the confidentiality of
general medical practice - this will allow them to seek advice on other personal
issues - EG: drugs, bullying, depression
- What is meant by “Communicable Disease”?
- a doctor must notify the relevant local authority
officers if they suspect that a patient has a notifiable
disease
(TB or Covid-19)
- Give 2 examples of diseases that are not notifiable?
- HIV
- AIDS