pros and cons of confidentiality in healthcare pros and cons of confidentiality in healthcare

This article explores the use of telehealth and the ability to provide health care to patients through interactive technology and telecommunication tools. Elk Grove Village (IL): American Academy of Pediatrics; 2017. Another problem, however is what to do regarding the patient who has discovered a breach of confidentiality. As part of comprehensive health care, it is our practice to ask parents to wait outside for part of the interview and to encourage the adolescents to discuss their own interests and concerns. But these safeguards must be designed to achieve a balance between protecting confidentiality and the need to share information in order to need to treat patients, assure quality health care, and conduct research that will lead to health advances. Therefore, it is important to remember that there is difference between social health insurance. Missouri specifically requires physicians to report drug dependent minors to the health department, and New Jersey expands the requirement to all drug dependent patients. Obstetriciangynecologists are encouraged to know their individual systems and institutional policies regarding confidentiality, EHRs, patient portals, and the open access for visit notes. As adolescents navigate this important developmental period, obstetriciangynecologists should engage with them and promote best practices that protect adolescents vulnerability and assist them in developing autonomy. Statutes and regulations regarding medical record information should be updated to ensure this standard is achieved. Whether or not to disclose personal medical information is often said to be a balancing act between the benefits of keeping confidentiality and the benefits of waiving it. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers the following recommendations and conclusions: Confidential care for adolescents is important because it encourages access to care and increases discussions about sensitive topics and behaviors that may substantially affect their health and well-being. At the initial visit, the obstetriciangynecologist should discuss the following issues with the parent or guardian and the patient: 1) the meaning and importance of confidentiality; 2) the scope of confidentiality protection; and 3) the limitations of confidentiality 1. 409 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-2188, Privacy Statement While it is generally accepted that patients must consent before being entered into a research study, some state laws explicitly carve out an exception to confidentiality restrictions, allowing access to medical records for research purposes. This document has been updated to include information on patient portals, guidance on the release of medical records, examples of ways to safeguard adolescent patients' confidentiality, and talking points to use with parents and guardians. WebDisadvantages of Paper Medical Records. This information is designed as an educational resource to aid clinicians in providing obstetric and gynecologic care, and use of this information is voluntary. Fidelity-based confidentiality suggests that physicians have an obligation not to disclosure information shared with them in their medical role. Once confidentiality is breeched, it is difficult to regain trust; so, obstetriciangynecologists should make efforts to avoid the violation of the trust between the health care provider and patient. 26th January 2022 Tech Digest Correspondent Health. The ACOG policies can be found on acog.org. For example, if the physicians primary role is to prolong life, confidentiality should be breached when the disclosure would serve to prolong life, or the failure to disclose would shorten life. The average increase in per-patient charges is $11.09 and patient collections have increased by $11.48 on average. Private information, especially if identifiable, should only be disclosed to the third party with the consent of the patient. Confidentiality discussions and private time with a health-care provider for youth, United States, 2016. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2017;30:17683. Statutes on the rights of minors to consent to health care services vary by state, and obstetriciangynecologists and other health care providers should be familiar with the regulations that apply to their practice. Confidentiality for adolescents accessing health care is complex, and concerns about lack of confidentiality can be a barrier to receiving appropriate care 2 3. Developments in technology have challenged our traditional understanding of "personal" information and privacy. Available at: English A, Bass L, Boyle AD, Eshragh F. State minor consent laws: a summary . HIPAA are essential to review periodically to understand your rights as a patient under this legislation. Similar recommendations are supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine 18. ACOG does not guarantee, warrant, or endorse the products or services of any firm, organization, or person. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated that "disclosures of private medical information to doctors, to hospital personnel, to insurance companies, and to public health agencies are often an essential part of modern medical practice." During this era of socialized medicine, there are both pros and cons of confidentiality, rights, safety, and the security of the patients. J Adolesc Health 2016;58:13440. WebCharge capture refers to tracking each charge to a patient for medical services given. Although laws vary by state, all minors have a right to some confidential health care. Second, we want to make sure that they have had the opportunity to learn to talk with a doctor by themselves so that when they are young adults, they are prepared to communicate and advocate for what they need. Parent or guardian access to the patients visit notes through the electronic patient portal poses the potential that confidential and sensitive information may be accessed, resulting in a breach of confidentiality and potentially adverse outcomes for the adolescent patient. Reduction in Medical Errors: 5. In these cases, obstetriciangynecologists and other health care providers should be cognizant of alternative ways to share information with the adolescent if coercion to access the adolescents login information is suspected. 4. Miscommunication during handovers can lead to unnecessary Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics. Employed physician in academic institution. As a last resort, the health care provider should consider referral if confidential care cannot be provided. Recent years have muddied our understanding of medical confidentiality. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is a law enacted by US congress in July 30, 2002. Recently, however, there have been some concerns raised about such databases, especially when the information can be linked to individuals (in other words, it is not completely anonymous) or it is stored electronically without adequate security. There are numerous reasons for ensuring that there is protection of the privacy, security, and confidentiality of the health information. Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices. After her murder, the family sued, claiming that the physician should have warned the victim. Legal protections for confidentiality are the result of our societys interest in privacy, but they can still be outweighed in cases where other society values (such as public health and safety) outweigh them. Literature discussing confidentiality and AIDS patients supports the notion that health care professionals (including counselors) have a duty to warn and protect at-risk third parties. What is managed Care One form of medical coverage is the managed-care plan. Obstetriciangynecologists and other health care providers and institutions that establish an electronic health record (EHR) system should consider systems with adolescent-specific modules that can be customized to accommodate the confidentiality needs related to minor adolescents and comply with the requirements of state and federal laws. Neither ACOG nor its officers, directors, members, employees, or agents will be liable for any loss, damage, or claim with respect to any liabilities, including direct, special, indirect, or consequential damages, incurred in connection with this publication or reliance on the information presented.All ACOG committee members and authors have submitted a conflict of interest disclosure statement related to this published product. 4th ed. Therefore, they This may mitigate the intimidation some patients may experience from parents or guardians. Abstract. There are many aspects of our lives that are available for anyone to access, and yet most people are either unaware of these possibilities, or unconcerned with this loss of confidentiality. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(21), e46. Ensuring privacy will also guarantee proper communication the patient and the physician; this is quite important as it will ensure provision of quality of care, improved autonomy, prevention of economic harm, discrimination and also an embarrassment. For example, it is much easier to obtain a persons credit history (even legally) than it is to gain access to his/her medical history, even though both may be considered highly personal and private information. Improving patient The average increase in per-patient charges is $11.09 and patient collections have increased by $11.48 on average. Bright futures: guidelines for health supervision of infants, children, and adolescents . Patients should have autonomy regarding parent or guardian presence during examination, but a parent or guardian should not take the place of a chaperone 12. Hospitals and office-based systems that currently use or are initiating OpenNotes should take steps to ensure that adolescent confidentiality is protected. For example, according to the medical ethics scholars Tom Beauchamp and James Childress, confidentiality protections can be justified using three types of arguments: Interestingly, none of these philosophical arguments suggests that confidentiality should not be breached under certain circumstances. According to Farnan et al (2013), privacy should always be guaranteed even if there will be no any form of embarrassment or any kind of harm. Neither of these survey types is best for every use case your organization has its own specific needs.For analysis of, say, a rapid one-off poll to help you identify and improve an aspect of a product or service, an anonymous survey is sometimes all you need.. Hagan JF, Shaw JS, Duncan PM. So there are a couple of questions that are up for debate. An email address may be helpful for contacting the patient. 587. Con: Healthcare data security concerns Patient portals, generally speaking, are a health IT interface on which patients can view their own protected health information (PHI). WebConfidentiality. These unique issues include: The diversity of stakeholders. The Pros of Using AI. The most obvious examples of public health concerns outweighing individual rights to confidentiality are from contagious disease cases. It is helpful to conduct staff sensitivity training on the following topics: Comfort with issues regarding adolescent sexuality, Knowledge about confidentiality issues, including state and local laws, How to provide relevant information to parents or guardians and patients about private conversation time with the adolescent patient and obstetriciangynecologist, How to identify appropriate contact information for the adolescent patient (eg, personal cell phone) and parents or guardians for future follow-up, How to set up a code word to ensure the identity and security of the adolescent patient, Comfort with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) issues and pronoun (she, he, they) usage. Emancipation: A legal procedure whereby minors become legally responsible for themselves, and their parents or guardians are no longer responsible (financially or otherwise). The bottom line is that not all information, even medical information, is automatically granted legal protection from disclosure: only information that is particularly sensitive is protected (and even sensitive information may be disclosed under certain circumstances). Adolescents should be made aware of specific instances when private information may be disclosed, such as suicidal or homicidal ideation or acts, life-threatening drug misuse, and an eating disorder causing bodily harm 1. New York, NY: Guttmacher Institute; 2019. The Cons of Patients Confidentiality, Security, Rights, and Privacy During this Era of Socialized Medicine Consequentialist theory suggests that without assurances of confidentiality, patients are less likely to disclose important medical information to their doctors. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Pediatrics 2017;140:e20172858. While gaining the adolescents trust, we still encourage them to discuss issues with their parents or guardians. This will allow patients to create their own direct access to their record, rather than through a parent or guardian. The parent or guardian and patient should be aware that these discussions are considered private, not secret, and obstetriciangynecologists may disclose private information when concerned for the immediate danger of patients to themselves or others, or both, and when reporting is required by public health laws 6. WebData access limitations. A wide assortment of hardware and software. There should be private conversation time between the health care provider and adolescent patient. Adolescents often have questions or concerns that they may feel embarrassed to talk about in front of their parents or guardians. Annals of internal medicine, 158(8), 620-627. Being aware of alternate health care referral centers for free or substantially decreased costs may be of benefit for the adolescent if there is a risk of billing disclosure. Those who have good insurance The network of participating doctors and hospitals. There are some theorists that have pointed out that privacy is a basic human right or good that has got some intrinsic values. Klein, C. A. WebPro 2 Instituting a right to health care could lower the cost of health care in the United States. Parent or guardian access to the patients visit notes through the electronic patient portal poses the potential that confidential and sensitive information may be accessed, resulting in a breach of confidentiality and potentially adverse outcomes for the adolescent patient. Thompson LA, Martinko T, Budd P, Mercado R, Schentrup AM. Obstet Gynecol 2020;135:e1717.This information is designed as an educational resource to aid clinicians in providing obstetric and gynecologic care, and use of this information is voluntary. Obstetriciangynecologists are encouraged to ensure conversation time alone with adolescents to clarify the adolescents privileges regarding the release of information and to obtain appropriate and preferred contact method. It is important for obstetriciangynecologists to be aware of their individual state and local laws. Measures to ensure protection will vary based on the EHR system capabilities and institution-specific policies. Employed physician in academic institution.