Confidentiality refers to rules or promises that restrict access to certain types of information, especially conversations between clinicians and patients. All healthcare employees are bound by confidentiality to keep written and spoken patient records private. Legal protections prevent doctors from revealing discussions with patients without consent or a court order, and breaches of confidentiality are illegal and can result in job loss or legal penalties.

1. Confidentiality
 Confidentiality is a set of rules or a promise
that limits access or places restrictions on
certain types of information.
 Confidentiality is commonly applied to
conversations between clinicians /doctors
and patients, however, all other healthcare
employees are also bound by rules to keep all
spoken and/or written records about a
patient in strict privacy or secrecy.
 Legal protections prevent physicians from
revealing certain discussions with patients,
even under oath in court.
 Confidentiality is mandated by HIPAA laws,
specifically the Privacy Rule, and various
state laws, some more rigorous than HIPAA.
 All patients expect to have his or her privacy
respected by the clinicians and other
healthcare providers and they should not be
disappointed. If a record must be released,
the patient should sign an appropriate
release authorizing the disclosure of
information in the medical record.
 A breach of confidentiality is a disclosure to
a third party, without patient consent or
court order, of private information that the
physician has learned within the patient-
physician relationship.
 Peeping at someone’s medical records without
authorization is also considered breaching
confidentiality.
 A Breach of confidentiality is a crime and
consequences can be loss of employment,
legal actions against the guilty, including
financial compensation for the person who
was wronged.