Patient Confidentiality Essay

703 Words3 Pages
Patient confidentiality is one of the most important aspects of a medical office or facility. Not only does it keep the employees and the facility itself free from law suit and/or repercussion, it gains the trust of the incoming patients. The diligence and the carefulness of the employees in the medical office are the key to keeping records secure. There are many different steps that I would take to ensure the information of the patients that enter the facility I am employed in is kept secure and confidential. First and foremost I would take extra precaution to ensure my computer screen and patient files weren’t visible to other patients. Second of all, when speaking with patients, it is imperative that I know my surroundings to make sure there are not other patients or unauthorized persons within earshot of myself and the patient I am speaking with. I also would not share any patient information with family members, friends, media or any other unauthorized medical professional without proper written consent from the patient. The consequences for breaching patient confidentiality can be serious. When a patients’ medical information is given to unauthorized persons, at the very least, the patient is most likely going to find another doctor or facility. In turn, that patient could begin to withhold important information from their new doctor pertaining to their health, which could hinder their diagnoses and treatment. If that patient decided to press charges against the person and /or the medical office, the employee may be terminated from employment, fined, licenses and/or certifications could be suspended or revoked, they could be charged with a criminal offence and incarcerated for a period of time and the medical office could be cited and fined, treatment abilities could be suspended or revoked or the office could possibly be shut down. All the
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