PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY2 Analysis Patiently confidentiality is an area that has attracted a lot of attention in the recent past. It refers to the act rights of patients to have their personal medical information kept private and only made available to authorised personnel. Registered nurses mainly have direct contacts with communities, families, and individuals in their endeavours of promoting health, facilitating adaptation to health problems and enhancing optimal recovery. Based on this fact, nurses both locally and internationally may have access to so much personal information about their clients. They, therefore, have a duty of ensuring that they maintain the confidentiality of their clients by not sharing such information with third prayers(Hader & Brown, 2010). Patient –healthcare provides r relationship quite significant. Besides being their moral obligation, Confidentiality is one of the approaches used by nurses to maintain good relations with their clients(Dinç & Gastmans, 2013). Human dignity is one of the most popular provisions of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). This principle views all individuals as worthy of great respect. By maintain the confidentiality of their clients, Nurses not only promote the dignity of their patients but also uphold other provisions of the CST principles such as caring for God’s creation. It is not ethically justifiable to share patient’s information with even close family members without the consent of the patient. However, this can be breached when there are safety concerns for the patient, or when there is a legal requirement for nurses to report certain circumstances and conditions. Patient confidentiality in their information sharing and make it possible to build trust with Nurses. It also promotes effective treatment and enhances participation in healthcare studies and initiatives. Patient confidentiality is, therefore, a moral and a legal obligation and must be upheld at all times(Cronquist & Spector, 2011). By supporting privacy not only are nurses able to carry out their roles effectively but also they enhance the
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY3 effectiveness of the mediation process. It, therefore, promotes the common good for patients and Nurses. Ways of Addressing Patient confidentiality challenge Nurses have a significant role to play in maintaining the confidentiality of their clients. Patient privacy is important in the nursing practice because it makes it possible for nurses to access client's health records and request for corrections if need be. Service delivery is also enhanced where patient confidentiality is highly valued. Patient confidentiality challenges can be addressed through the following strategies. Identification of main breaches of patient confidentiality related to the nursing practice The best strategy for solving an issue is first understanding what the issue entails. The best strategy for addressing patient confidentiality challenges is, therefore, understanding the possible confidentiality breaches that arise during nursing practice(Chretien, Greysen, Chretien & Kind, 2009). Armed with this knowledge, it will be possible to institute effective mitigation strategies to address the challenges. Developing an inclusive policy to safeguard patient’s confidentiality Policy regulation is one of the strategies that can be used to address the issue of confidentiality both in Australia and Internationally. Such policy would stipulate the principles that need to be adhered by nurses globally and within Australia to enhance the confidentiality of patients. All nurses should be regulated by the provisions of this policy to act only in ways that do not disadvantage patients in as far as the right to privacy is concerned(Petronio, DiCorcia, & Duggan, 2012). Patient’s confidentiality policy should be regularly communicated to nurses and their clients, and be made part of the nursing practice to ensure optimal compliance. The policy
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY4 should also provide guidelines for handling confidential information in all possible scenarios in the nursing setting to ensure that no loopholes for breach are left unsealed(Bosslet, Torke, Hickman, Terry & Helft, 2011). Through these guidelines, it will clearly state what nurses are supposed to do, when they are supposed to do it and how they are supposed to do it when handling patient's medical information. This policy will not only enhance the confidentiality of patient's information, but it will also ensure that trust is built between Patients and Nurses. This will also be enhanced by the fact that the policy will also be communicated to patients which will make it possible for them to closely monitor the actions of Nurses to see if all necessary steps are being taken to uphold their privacy. Securing confidential information Sometimes breaches in patient's confidentiality occur because sensitive data is stored in unsecured systems, making it easy for unauthorised persons to access it(Ulrich et al., 2010). This challenge can, therefore, be resolved through ensuring that patient’s confidential information is only stored in secure Systems. This is particularly important because of the large volumes of patient data that gets generated on a daily basis and the challenges encountered by nurses in determining which among these sets of data needs to be stored and where it should be stored. In the absence of secured systems, such data falls at risk of being mishandled hence putting the confidentiality of a patient at risk. Investing in secure data storage systems such s cloud-based health practice management systems can be an effective strategy for securing patient’s confidential information(Anderson, 2008). Such a system would provide top-notch security system hence doing sway with the issue of challenges in ensuring patient confidentiality. Confidentiality training
Paraphrase This Document
Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY5 With the significance being attached to patient’s confidentiality and the raging debate over breaches in patient's confidentiality, nurses have no option but to be highly equipped with both knowledge and skills of handling patient's confidentiality. Confidentiality training is a way of providing sensitisation on the importance and role of maintaining patient's confidentiality. Nurses should be trained in how they can ensure the confidentiality of their clients is upheld as well as on the possible consequences of breaching patient's confidentiality(Casey & Wallis, 2011). This training should be done regularly for both new and experienced nurses. Patient information handling and storage procedure Apart from training, procedures for handling and storing confidential patient information should be availed. Such procedures can either be the long-term or short term. The availability of such procedures would ensure that nurses strive to carry out their responsibilities while adhering to procedures for storing information. Such procedures may include labelling of patient's data as either private or confidential, encrypting passwords on computers containing patients information, locking patient files in drawers after hours or during lunch and tea breaks to keep away unauthorised persons, and putting in place secure transmission methods for transmitting confidential patient’s information electronically. These procedures may also include using an encrypted computer network, using firewalls and strong passwords(Aylott, 2011). By adhering to these procedures, nurses will ensure that the privacy of patients is upheld. Enforcement While Confidentiality training, enacting policies and procedures for handling patient’s information is an effective strategy, lack of enforcement will lead to no positive outcome. Implementation should, therefore, be prioritised. Enforcement may include specifying actions
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY6 that constitute a violation of patient confidentiality by Nurses and the possible disciplinary action for such violations. Enforcement should also include installation of event and log management software to identify and regulate logins to computers containing crucial patient’s information.
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY7 References Anderson, R. (2008). Patient confidentiality and central databases.Br J Gen Pract,58(547), 75- 76. Aylott, M. (2011). Blurring the boundaries: Technology and the nurse-patient relationship. British Journal of Nursing,20(13), 810-816. Bosslet, G. T., Torke, A. M., Hickman, S. E., Terry, C. L., & Helft, P. R. (2011). The patient- doctor relationship and online social networks: results of a national survey.Journal of general internal medicine,26(10), 1168-1174. Casey, A., & Wallis, A. (2011). Effective communication: the principle of nursing practice E. Nursing Standard (through 2013),25(32), 35. Chretien, K. C., Greysen, S. R., Chretien, J. P., & Kind, T. (2009). Online posting of unprofessional content by medical students.Jama,302(12), 1309-1315. Cronquist, R., & Spector, N. (2011). Nurses and social media: Regulatory concerns and guidelines.Journal of Nursing Regulation,2(3), 37-40. Dinç, L., & Gastmans, C. (2013). Trust in nurse-patient relationships: A literature review. Nursing Ethics,20(5), 501-516. Hader, A. L., & Brown, E. D. (2010). LEGAL BRIEFS. Patient Privacy and Social Media. AANA journal,78(4). Petronio, S., DiCorcia, M. J., & Duggan, A. (2012). Navigating ethics of physician-patient confidentiality: a communication privacy management analysis.The Permanente Journal,16(4), 41.
Secure Best Marks with AI Grader
Need help grading? Try our AI Grader for instant feedback on your assignments.
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY8 Ulrich, C. M., Taylor, C., Soeken, K., O’Donnell, P., Farrar, A., Danis, M., & Grady, C. (2010). Everyday ethics: ethical issues and stress in nursing practice.Journal of advanced nursing,66(11), 2510-2519.