Confidentiality

Question 1

What is confidentiality?

Answer 1

Adj = Intended to be kept a secret

Noun = The state of keeping or being kept a secret/private

Question 2

What is the hippocratic oath?

Answer 2

Written by Hippocrates in about 450BC. Describes the basic ethics of medical practice and moral code for doctors.

Question 3

What is the Hippocratic Oath idea on abortion and suicide?

Answer 3

That neither should be supported by doctors. Modern medicine has changed this idea

Question 4

What is BMA take on abortion?

Answer 4

Where abortion is permitted it should take place within an ethical and legal framework

Question 5

Is the Hippocratic oath compulsory?

Answer 5

No, although it is an integral part of many medical schools

Question 6

What do US physicians abide by?

Answer 6

Declaration of Geneva physician’s oath

Question 7

What do UK physicians abide by?

Answer 7

Core values and principles set by the GMC within “Good Medical Practice”

Question 8

What are the four domains of Good Medical Practice?

Answer 8

1) Knowledge, skills and performance
2) Safety and quality
3) Communication, partnership and teamwork
4) Maintaining trust

Question 9

What are the core components of maintaining trust within good medical practice?

Answer 9

• Respect for patients
• Treat patients as individuals
• Confidentiality
• Treat patients and colleagues fairly, without discrimination
• Honesty and integrity
• Never abuse trust

Question 10

Why should doctors keep confidentiality?

Answer 10

• There is both an ethical and legal duty (could be sued)

- Patients could be put at risk

Question 11

When can confidentiality be broken?

Answer 11

• Referrals
• Patients consent
• Doctors own defence
• Statutory requirement
• In court of law
• Protection of others
• In public interest
• Child abuse

Question 12

What is a data guardian/caldicott?

Answer 12

Senior person in the NHS, local authority social care services, and partner organisations, who are responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient information and enabling appropriate information sharing.

Question 13

What is a data protection officer?

Answer 13

Have a statutory function under the General Data Protection Regulation to monitor a data controller’s compliance with the GDPR

Question 14

What is the GDPR?

Answer 14

General Data Protection Regulations

Question 15

What are the six principles of the GDPR?

Answer 15

1) Be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
2) Be processed for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not in any manner incompatible with those purposes
3) Be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes
4) Be accurate and up to date
5) Must not be kept for longer than is necessary
6) Be secure

Question 16

What is the common law?

Answer 16

Information
given or obtained in confidence should not be used or disclosed further
except in certain circumstances. This means a doctor must not disclose
confidential information, unless there is a legal basis for doing so.

Question 17

What does the GDPR define personal data as?

Answer 17

The GDPR defines personal data as:‘any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person’