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As a health information professional, my course of action must be guided by ethical considerations of my profession, and the principles of doing good while avoiding harm.
Firstly, I need to take heed that I, as a health informatics, have the duty to uphold the confidentiality of the patient’s sensitive health information including their diagnosis.
Secondly, I have no right to interfere with other people family issue. Even though she is the close friend of mine, I do not assume that I have the right to disclose sensitive health information of her partner.
Thirdly, yes, I agree that if I do not tell her about her partner’s health status, she will be at risk. But I believe that the healthcare provider of her partner’s had already discussed the risks to the patient’s partner due to his health status. So, it might be at the discretion of the patient whether or when to disclose that information. It is, in other words, respecting the self-determination of the patient about their health status.
Fourthly, disclosing the sensitive information of a patient’s health status can lead to more harm than good in this case. Even though I might warn my close friend, disclosure can destroy their relationship, and if the information spreads further, it can lead to more negative impact like stigmatization.
To conclude, yes, I believe that it is my responsibility and obligation to hold health sensitive information. I believe that the healthcare provider has already explained the risks to the patients and to his partner. So, I will respect the self-determination of the patients, by honoring his decision of whether or when to disclose his health status to my close friend, by not interfering in their issues.
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I agree that disclosing sensitive health information can cause serious problems. If your friend learns about her partner’s illness from you, it could hurt their trust and damage their relationship. Plus, if others find out, it might lead to shame and stigma for both of them. It’s important to let the patient decide when and how to share this information.
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I encountered a multifaceted ethical challenge as a health information worker in this scenario. However, I shall address the matter while adhering to the concept of Ethics and confidentiality.
1) What should you do?
Even though I really wanted to tell my friend But I should put patient confidentiality first and not provide any details about my friend’s husband’s HIV status. Pay attention to my professional responsibilities and make sure that ethical and privacy regulations are followed.2) As a health information professional – can you tell my friend?
I had to force myself to keep this information a secret from my friend. As a health information expert, I can’t tell a friend about her husband’s HIV status. Such actions are a breach of confidentiality and violate ethical guidelines.3) Can you interfere with other people or family issues?
Intervening in personal or familial affairs, especially with sensitive health information, is typically inappropriate. My responsibility is to manage health information judiciously.4) But, should your friend not know about this because she might be at risk?
Although my concern for my friend’s health is valid, the choice to disclose this information ultimately lies with the patient (her husband). It is essential to respect his autonomy and his right to decide when and how to share his health status.5) How will you follow the fundamental principles about the right to self-determination, doing good, and doing no harm to others?
• Respecting the husband’s choice regarding his health information.
• Encouraging the husband to consider seeking support or counseling to discuss his condition with his wife if he feels comfortable.
• Avoiding actions that could harm the husband or disrupt his relationship by disclosing his condition without his consent.6) Isn’t it your obligation and the right of the subject to hold the information?
Yes, it is both my obligation as a health information professional to protect the confidentiality of the patient and the right of the patient to control access to their health information. Upholding these rights is fundamental to maintaining trust and ethical standards in healthcare.-
You bring up an important point in your discussion, it is important to respect the husband’s choice about sharing his health information. Encouraging him to talk to his wife, if he feels ready, can be helpful. This way, we are supporting both his rights and his relationship while ensuring that we do not harm anyone by sharing private details without consent.
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This situation raises several ethical dilemmas. As a health information professional, I must according to professional codes of ethics.
1. What should you do?
As a health information professional, I should not take any action beyond my official duties. The patient’s medical information is confidential and protected. I must maintain confidentiality according to professional codes of ethics, and respect the patient’s privacy rights.2. As a health information professional, can you tell your friend?
Even though I’m worried about my friend, I absolutely can’t tell her about her husband’s HIV status. It’s the doctor’s job to talk to the patient about telling his wife. As a health information professional, I continue doing my job as usual and do not treat this patient’s information differently. Disclosing the patient’s health information violates ethical principles, privacy laws, and is likely illegal. Patient confidentiality must be maintained, even with family members.3. Can you interfere with family issues?
I must remain neutral and protect the patient’s privacy and the confidentiality of health records. It is not my role as a friend to interfere in family matters.4. But, should your friend not know about this because she might be at risk?
It’s true that she might be at risk. I think she should know, but it must be her husband’s decision to inform her. Doctors have ways to handle situations like this. They can talk to the patient about telling his partner or find other ways to protect people at risk.5. How do you follow fundamental principles such as self-determination, doing good, and doing no harm?
Self-determination: I respect my friend’s husband’s autonomy by maintaining his confidentiality. He has the right to control his personal health information and the right to decide when and how to tell others about his illness.
Doing good: Protecting patient privacy and following to ethical principles in health informatics helps maintain a fair and trustworthy healthcare system for everyone.
Do no harm (non-maleficence): Encouraging the patient to inform their partner could be a better approach.6. Isn’t it your obligation and the right of the subject to hold the information?
Yes, it is the health information professional’s ethical obligation to keep this information confidential. The patient has a right to privacy and to control who has access to their health data. Respecting this right is a core duty of health information professionals.In summary, it’s a difficult situation, but the right thing to do is to keep the information private. The healthcare system has other ways to address these risks without having to break the rules. Balancing the principles of respecting privacy (self-determination) and following the rules (doing no harm to the healthcare system) is more important than disclosing patient data (worry about friend).
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Hello Wannisa, yes, like you mentioned in your answer number 4, healthcare providers of your close friend’s husband might have already discussed the matter with the patient as well, so respecting the professional nature of your co-workers or fellow healthcare provider would be a great factor as well in this situation. Additionally, even though it is a difficult decision, we must ensure the principles of “do no harm” and “confidentiality” nature of our profession.
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As a health information professional and assigned the duty to check on the EMR of patients’ records.
What should you do?
I don’t do any action on that. The patient’s medical records are confidential. We must respect patient’s privacy and must follow a code of ethics.As a health information professional – can you tell your friend?
It is crucial for patients as not everyone is comfortable disclosing their medical history. I will not provide any further details regarding her husband’s health status. Reminding patients about their health status is solely the responsibility of the doctor, I think.Can you interfere with other people or family issue?
Patient health records must be kept confidential, even considering family matters.
It’s generally not advisable to interfere with other people’s or family member’s health issues unless they seek our help or advice. Each individual has the right to manage their health as they see fit, and interfering can lead to conflict.But, should your friend not know about this because she might be at risk?
Exactly, she might be at risk. I believe the doctor will update him on his health status, and they will discuss it with the patient’s wife. If the patient consents, it can help mitigate risks.How will you follow the fundamental principles about right to self-determination, doing good and doing no harm to others?
Self-determination: After discussing this with the patient, the doctor will honor the patient’s decision regarding his health information.
Doing Good: Respect patient consent and protect patient data according to ethical principles in health informatics rules.
Doing no harm: patient communication with their partner might be a more effective strategy.Isn’t it your obligation and the right of the subject to hold the information?
I am responsible for safeguarding health-sensitive information, which is strictly confidential and should not be shared. This duty belongs solely to the healthcare provider, and we must all respect the patient’s right to make their own health decisions.-
Hello Aye, thank you for highlight the significance of “do no harm” principle. Yes, disclosing one’s health inforamtion to other will do more harm than good. Even in this situation, disclosing the information will severe the relation between your friend and her husband. Additionally, respecting the patient’s decision when and how to disclose their health information is a good thing as well.
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I have to maintain confidentiality of patient information. But will discuss/ advocate with the patient to disclose the situation with partner as it might become a risk. In private sector, disclosing of that individual patient information without consent will make huge impact by damaging company/ organization reputation and financial loss.
What if we think from another perspective? In cases of contagious and outbreak diseases like COVID-19, we have to inform health authorities about the situation for the sake of doing good in large communities even though individual patients have the right to keep their health information secret.
Conclusion: Maintain individual patient information but advocacy might be needed for not contagious diseases. Disclose information for contagious and outbreak diseases but this should be led by health authorities.
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A short answer to these questions for this HIV case is that I will not disclose the patient’s information to my friend by respecting the patient’s self-determination, beneficence, and non-maleficence, and above all, by following legal and professional obligations to maintain the confidentiality of all patients. However, I would encourage the patient to inform his spouse, to act responsibly, and to consider the well-being of his spouse. As a health information professional, the best is to refer to consult a healthcare professional for further guidance to disclose this information safely.
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As a Health Information Professional:
What should you do?
I should not do anything in this situation. The health information of my friend’s husband is private, and it’s not my place to act.Can you tell your friend?
In my opinion, I cannot tell my friend about this. It violates data ethics, which prohibit sharing private medical information without permission.Can you interfere with other people or family issues?
In this case, I don’t think I can interfere. However, if the situation is life-threatening or critical (e.g., death or severe illness), I believe it might be justified to interfere, but only after careful consideration of professional and ethical guidelines.Should your friend know because she might be at risk?
Telling her might make the situation worse. If she is unaware of her husband’s condition, there may be reasons why he hasn’t shared this information yet. Disclosing it could lead to trust issues in their relationship, which is not my place to affect.How will you follow the fundamental principles about right to self-determination, doing good, and doing no harm?
Self-Determination: The patient has the right to control their own medical information. It’s their decision whether or not to disclose this to others, including their partner.
Doing No Harm: Even though I may feel a moral responsibility to protect my friend, sharing the patient’s information without consent could harm the patient and violate legal and ethical standards.
Doing Good: While I may want to help my friend, my professional responsibility is to respect the patient’s rights. I must balance my desire to protect her with my obligation to maintain confidentiality.
• Isn’t it your obligation and the right of the subject to hold the information?
Yes, it is your responsibility to keep the patient’s information private. The patient has the right to control who knows about their medical condition. As a health professional, you must respect this and not share the information without the patient’s permission.
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