Facilitator:
Progressive development in the Information Technology has raised diverse professional dilemmas among nurses on the issue of patients’ confidentiality. As stipulated in nursing code of ethics, patient confidentiality is a critical aspect in healthcare professional. The concepts of patient confidentiality are clearly enshrined in nurse contract of employment and in NHS codes of ethics (Gallagher, 2010). However, despite being clarified in the nursing contract of employment, some nurses are confused on the most effective means of implementing the policy on patients’ confidentiality.
Recent studies further affirm that the issue of patient privacy and confidentiality has been a major issue of concern in modern healthcare systems. Nurses and other healthcare professionals do not understand the importance of respecting patients’ privacy and the impacts of exposing one’s private information on the quality of service delivery. Although the law on patient privacy is clear in the nurses’ code of ethics, nurses tend to ignore this regulation without considering the impacts of the act on community healthcare. Safeguarding patients’ basic rights with respects of individual health information is not only essential in improving the quality of services offered by nurses, but also vital in increasing efficiency in healthcare system.
Exposure of patient private information in modern healthcare systems have resulted to increased legal cases between healthcare professionals and patients (Hillman, 2005). The legal conflicts between healthcare professionals and patients emanating from disclosure of confidential health conditions of patients are costly and time consuming, which affects activities in the modern healthcare systems. Nurses’ ignorance on the code of confidentiality and patient privacy also has an impact on the manner in which patients exposes the history of their health condition to patients. Inadequate exposure of medical history results to poor service delivery and inappropriate prescription of drugs.
On the other hand, nurses fail to understand situations in which patients’ private information should be upheld and when to disclose patients’ medical information to other healthcare professionals. This means adequate training need to be administered on nurse to reduce unnecessary confusion and conflicts in healthcare institutions to reinforce protection of patients’ private information. It is also the responsibility of nurses to understand and acknowledge the important of confidentiality code of ethics in the improvement of their service delivery. Particularly, nurses need to follow and adhere to the set rules and regulations when disclosing patients’ private information (Merton, 2008).
The issue of patient confidentiality and privacy is critical in the practice of professional nursing and health care. As indicated in the nursing code of ethics, nurses have a role of protecting patient healthcare information. In this respect, complying with this requirement highlights that professionals understand their role and responsibility in healthcare system (Coady & Bloch, 1996). This is essential because following code of patients’ confidentiality make patients develop confidence in expressing themselves to healthcare professionals. In consequence, adequate presentation of patient’s health history improves services offered in healthcare systems by facilitating appropriate diagnosis.
Knowledge on patient health information also helps in the identification of the most effective intervention measures of dealing with the diagnosed health condition. The issue of patient privacy also helps in generating effective and reliable mutual relationship between nurses and their patients. Patients are in most case free and comfortable while expressing their nature of their health conditions to nurses thus resulting to quality delivery of health services. By understanding the detailed information regarding patient’s health condition, nurses offers the most affective and reliable advice and guidance to patients on the most cost effective and appropriate intervention measures (Johnstone & Kanitsaki, 2007).
The issue of protecting patient private information has proved to have various advantages and disadvantages to nurses and patients. Patients’ confidentiality helps in the improvement of the services offered to patients. Patients develop the confidence of describing their health history that is vital in diagnosis and treatment process. The issue of patients’ privacy is also essential in the improvement of the society general health conditions. Nurse who uphold and respect patients’ confidentiality get adequate chances of interacting effectively with society members on issues that involves community health. Compliance with the policy of patients’ confidentiality also helps in reducing unnecessary confusion in healthcare systems (American Nurses Association, 2010). The unnecessary legal battle between healthcare professionals and patients that results to poor and unreliable service delivery is also reduced through total compliance with confidentiality code of ethics.
However, despite having encouraging outcome on the general community health condition, the ethic on patients’ confidentiality results to waste of time and resources in modern healthcare systems. The process followed prior to the exposure of patient private health information to other healthcare professionals is long and time consuming. On the other hand, through the policy on patient privacy nurses are denied direct access to some essential information that could be vital in facilitating effective service delivery. Some healthcare professionals also deny nurses access to private and critical information vital in the provision of appropriate counseling and guidance services to patients. The consequences of failure to comply with this regulation are also severe and detrimental on nurses. Despite subjecting nurses to disciplinary action, violation of the confidentiality code of ethnic could even result to the loss of a job for nurse. The mutual interaction that is expected to exist between all healthcare professional in healthcare system is also affected by confidentiality requirements. Some professionals are reluctant in presenting critical information essential in providing quality services to patients (American Nurses Association, 2001).
Despite presenting some negative outcome to the services that are offered by nurses to patients, total compliance with the code of ethics that protects patient private information is vital and inevitable in modern healthcare system. A part from improving the quality of services that are offered by healthcare professionals, the policy on patient confidentiality also increases the interaction between patients and healthcare professionals. The ethical code on patient privacy is also in accordance with the existing individual basic right to privacy. Before exposing patient private information, intensive consultation with the patient is vital and essential. Involvement of patients in the disclosure of their private health information is vital in reducing and in eliminating unnecessary and premature speculation that could lead to inappropriate diagnosis and treatment.
The confidentiality code of ethics fosters establishment of mutual and reliable interaction between patients and healthcare professionals. Through the regulation on patients’ privacy, patients are updated on their health conditions and on the measures and steps that are taken towards improving their conditions. Therefore, by considering the impacts of the patient confidentiality code of ethics in community health, nurses need to be adequately informed on its importance and its relevance in modern dynamic and technologically oriented society. It is also the responsibility of nurses to understand the most effective means of implementing the confidentiality code of ethics in their practices.
References
American Nurses Association. (2001). The code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Washington, DC: Nursesbooks
American Nurses Association. (2010). Nursing's social policy statement: The essence of the profession (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Nursebooks
Coady M & Bloch S. (1996). Code of Ethics and the Professions, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
Gallagher, R. M. (2010). Quality is not an irreconcilable difference: The patient protection and affordable care act (P.L. 11-148). Nursing Management, 41(8), 18-20
Hillman, A. (2005). Reflections on service orientations, community, and professions, Academy of Management Journal, 48(2), 185-188
Johnstone M & Kanitsaki O. (2007). An exploration of the notion and nature of the construct of cultural safety and its applicability to the Australian health care context, Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 18(3), pp. 247–56
Merton, R. K. (2008). The functions of the professional association, American Journal of Nursing, 58(1), 50-54
