Confidentiality plays a central role in preserving trust between doctors and their patients. Genuine exceptions in this are disclosures with patient consent when required by law and where there is a public interest. The current article describes the scenarios where breaching patient confidentiality is justified. Many times, the medical notes are left visible in wards and patient consultations are conducted in the open environment, which breaks patient confidentiality unintentionally.
The increased use of electronic health records causes faster and wider distribution of patient information with an increased risk of unauthorized access. Still, there are some situations when disclosing patient confidentiality is justified. They are: Disclosing patient information with the prior consent of the patient. Disclosing patient information between members of healthcare teams who are taking care of…
