Privacy and Confidentiality of the Patient
In this paper I am going to define privacy and confidentiality along with discussing the case study that is found on page 77 of Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing Fourth Edition. I will also address the follow up questions in the case study.
Privacy and Confidentiality are interconnected. Confidentiality is keeping the information of the patient private. Privacy is a persons right to disclose information about themselves to whom they choose. Confidentiality is keeping the information to your self unless it is necessary to share to provide patient care (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). We as nurses deal with keeping patients privacy on a daily basis. We are given very personal information that we must keep confidential and are only to discuss with others if pertinent to patient care. …show more content…
The main purpose of the visit was for her to obtain birth control. As the nurse practitioner was assessing her, she found evidence of physical abuse. When asked about the injury found, the young girl was slow to tell that she is being physically abused by her biological dad and sexually abused by her step father. The girl also stated she does not want to turn in either of the fathers in and would rather stay with her biological father then step father. The nurse is placed in a position to decide whether to follow state law and report the fathers for child abuse. Or follow the code of ethics and federal laws which would say to keep the patient information private and not report it (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p.
In this paper I am going to define privacy and confidentiality along with discussing the case study that is found on page 77 of Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing Fourth Edition. I will also address the follow up questions in the case study.
Privacy and Confidentiality are interconnected. Confidentiality is keeping the information of the patient private. Privacy is a persons right to disclose information about themselves to whom they choose. Confidentiality is keeping the information to your self unless it is necessary to share to provide patient care (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). We as nurses deal with keeping patients privacy on a daily basis. We are given very personal information that we must keep confidential and are only to discuss with others if pertinent to patient care. …show more content…
The main purpose of the visit was for her to obtain birth control. As the nurse practitioner was assessing her, she found evidence of physical abuse. When asked about the injury found, the young girl was slow to tell that she is being physically abused by her biological dad and sexually abused by her step father. The girl also stated she does not want to turn in either of the fathers in and would rather stay with her biological father then step father. The nurse is placed in a position to decide whether to follow state law and report the fathers for child abuse. Or follow the code of ethics and federal laws which would say to keep the patient information private and not report it (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p.