Confidentiality in Nursing: Professional Values and the NMC Code

This essay explores the professional value of confidentiality within the nursing profession, emphasizing its significance as outlined in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code. It highlights the core professional values, including respecting the client and obtaining informed consent, which are crucial for maintaining patient privacy and fostering a healthy nurse-client relationship. The essay also discusses the future of nursing practice, focusing on adherence to healthcare authority policies and the importance of continuous training to ensure confidentiality is maintained and that nurses are aware of potential breaches. The value of confidentiality in nursing is underscored by its role in safeguarding patients and preventing legal challenges resulting from privacy errors. Furthermore, the essay elaborates on the elements of confidentiality within the NMC Code, such as the right to privacy and the necessity of informed consent for sharing patient information, thereby ensuring comprehensive protection of patient data. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for nursing students.

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TABLE OF CONTENT
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT.......................................................................................................3
Professional value of confidentiality in NMC Code:..................................................................3
Future nursing practice:...............................................................................................................3
Value of confidentiality in Nursing:............................................................................................3
Confidentiality in NMC Code:....................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5
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FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Professional value of confidentiality in NMC Code:
Under NMC Code of maintaining confidentiality, nurse and health care practitioner need to
provide safety and security of confidential information related to patient and their health
associated (Griffith, 2019). This code contains professional standards for registered nurse and
healthcare practitioner to ensure professional and effective care is being provided to the care
user. There are three core professional value of confidentiality in NMC Code, these are:
 Respect client: Nurse or healthcare provider need to respect person seeking care, respect
in all aspect including privacy and confidentiality respect allowing both nurse and client
to seek healthy relationship.
 Informed consent: To maintain confidentiality measure, nurse or healthcare provider
need to provide informed consent to patient or user seeking care, inform consent keep
privacy maintained in the process and ensure nurse or healthcare provided remain safe.
Future nursing practice:
Follow policy: Policy provided by the healthcare authority to maintain confidentiality allow
nurse to ensure privacy is maintained in the process, future practice of nurse may require them to
follow confidentiality policy and practice in the workplace. Nurse are required to have habit of
follow each and every policy and restriction provided by the authority to each nurse and
healthcare professional (Rajan-Brown and Mitchell, 2020).
Training: Training is one of the best practice to ensure confidentiality is maintained in the
process, nurse or healthcare professional need to attend training program conducted by
healthcare authority to improve quality of nurse and healthcare practitioner. Training will ensure
nurse or healthcare provider are aware about the key area where confidentiality might get
compromised.
Value of confidentiality in Nursing:
Confidentiality is one of the most important term in nursing area, nurse or healthcare
provider need to maintain confidentiality to ensure patient remain safe from any kind of
exposure. Confidentiality have significant value in nursing area, nurse and authority need to
maintain confidentiality of patient. However, if confidentiality is compromised then authority
and nurse might have to face legal challenges (Code, 2021). Privacy error in nursing area may
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impact private clinic and healthcare practitioner, lack of confidentiality measure may impact
effectiveness of both nurse and clinic. Exposure or loss of privacy information is critical issue for
both nurse and patient because this information can be used for further action impacting patient
health status in the process.
Confidentiality in NMC Code:
In NMC Code, confidentiality play significant role. Nurse and healthcare provider consider
those measure which allow them to maintain confidentiality, under NMC Code there are certain
element highlight confidentiality measure, these are:
 Right to privacy: NMC Code ensure client or care user privacy is safe and secure under
the policy and code highlight, apart from this, NMC Code consider law and legislation
ruling confidentiality measure in the nursing area.
 Informed consent: Each information related to client or care user is confidential,
however, if information needed to be shared with other authority, then informed consent
will be collected from client or care user.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Code, M.C.N., 2021. The role of the midwife. Midwifery Essentials: Perinatal Mental Health, E-
Book: Volume 9, p.100.
Griffith, R., 2019. Electronic records, confidentiality and data security: the nurse's
responsibility. British Journal of Nursing, 28(5), pp.313-314.
Rajan-Brown, N. and Mitchell, A., 2020. The NMC Code and its application to the role of the
midwife in antenatal care: a student perspective. British Journal of Midwifery, 28(12),
pp.844-849.
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