What medical information should be confidential Who, if anybody, should have access to medical records - Research Proposal Example

Introduction Safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of the patient’s health records is the crucial aspect of all healthcare system. During the evaluation of cases and subsequent management of case activities, nurses and other healthcare staff get access to client’s confidential information such as medical condition, family, and financial reports. Since confidential information handling is the daily routine for nurses and physicians, it is paramount that the healthcare staffs preserve and safeguard all the secrets involved in those records at all times based on the state, institutional, and federal laws and requirements. Therefore, healthcare staffs such as nurses and physicians have ethical and legal duties to observe confidentiality and privacy of the health information and records of their patients. Problem Statement Some medical information is private and must be preserved, and similarly, just authorized people should access confidential medical records. Background of the study Electronic records pose critical problems to confidential information when storing and securing records. Although they provide increased convenience in retrieval of data and transfer of data, the systems also impose increased risks of leakage of information, access by staffs who are not authorized and browsing by people who are not authorized, (Anderson and Kenneth 231). Therefore, healthcare systems and institutions must consider security of the storage and transfer of their information and challenge of staff inadvertently gaining access to unauthorized electronic data. An interview with a group of healthcare employees at an ophthalmology practice located in South Coast Massachusetts and Rhode Island confirms this argument. For instance, an interview done with 24 doctors and 165 employees, including 17 licensed opticians and two licensed hearing aid dispensers, the practice services an average of two to three hundred patients per day in need of both vision and hearing assistance shows that a focus on quality eye and ear care - the practice chosen to convert paper charts to electronic health records two years ago in the hopes of excelling in customer care and satisfaction generated some serious problems; this is because electronic health records may expose confidential information to unauthorized people. Focus or goals of the study The study aims at determining the patient medical information that should be considered confidential. It also aims at determining the right person to access the patient’s confidential medical information. Research questions 1. What medical information should be held confidential and why? 2. Who should have access to patients’ confidential information? 3. What are some of ethical issues concerning confidentiality of medical information? Research and analysis plan Researches reveal that there are some medical and clinical information that should be held confidential and preserved under any cost, (Chapman 56). Staffs in a groups practices need must formulate effective internal communication strategies to be able to comply with principles of privacy and confidentiality such as test results communication and considering issues of contact tracing. Staffs should understand their responsibilities and duties and ensure that systems are effective to protect clients privacy. Patient’s confidential information that should be disclosed under careful consideration includes health care history of the patient, diagnosis criteria, lab results, medical prescriptions, patient’s appointment schedules, counseling contents and results, and medical history of the patient among other information, (Harman 78). Some people may be authorized to access private information of the patient; for instance, the patient and his family, his insurer, the government, court order and medical practitioners under investigation among others. With recent technological development, health care delivery and systems utilized in health information recording and retrieval have changed. Additional to use of paper chart medical records, medical doctors, clinics and insurers constantly utilize electronic devices such as computers and related strategies in medical reports recording and distribution. In various cases, patients’ confidential information such as medical diagnoses, drug prescriptions and information concerning their medical insurance end up landing in the hands of unauthorized parties who work with such machines, (Steen, James and Marcia 153). This confidentiality breach poses some crucial challenges to the hospital fraternity and potential threats to patient-doctor relationships because it influences the quality of care provided; therefore, patients may be adamant to disclose their private health information because of fear of confidentiality breach. How you are going to recruit your participants (coworkers at work) The participants in the research will be recruited from the coworkers, who will be interviewed and their results analyzed. For instance, the study will use different views from 24 doctors and 165 employees, including 17 licensed opticians and two licensed hearing aid dispensers and patients. Ethical issues addressed (privacy issue) Protection of the clients’ confidences is bound to some exceptions, which are ethically accepted due to overwhelming social factors. Such may include when there are serious risks to the client or another individual or whenever obligated by law or other obliging interests of the society; for instance, in case of a reasonable possibility that a client will cause an adverse bodily harm to another individual, a doctor should take precautions, safeguard the potential victim, and inform law authorities. Therefore, the doctor’s confidentiality duty sometimes must give a way to a firm convincing social interest, (Lawrance 124). Similarly, before disclosure of any medical information, the informed consent of the patient should be obtained because the patients have right to their information and may give access permit to people they trust. Conclusion Breaching confidentiality implies revealing a person’s information to another person without the client’s consent or order from the authorities. Even though, the strategy is vital, various security conditions may apply at times. Breaching of confidential and private information without appropriate permission may cause serious problems and disciplinary measures may apply to staffs that do not respect and protect their clients’ medical information. Works cited Anderson, James and Kenneth Goodman. Ethics and Information Technology: A Case-Based Approach to a Health Care System in Transition. New York: Springer, 2002. Print. Chapman, Audrey . Health Care and Information Ethics: Protecting Fundamental Human Rights. Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward, 2007. Print. Harman, Laurinda . Ethical Challenges in the Management of Health Information. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, 2001. Print. Lawrance, William. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Health Research. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Steen, Elaine , James . Childress, and Marcia, Childress. Privacy and Confidentiality in Computer Medical Records. Charlottesville, Va: University of Virginia School of Medicine, 1997. Read More