Medical Confidentiality Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the Hippocratic oath?
An oath describing the basic ethics of medical practice and that lays down a moral code of conduct for doctors
What are the 4 basic principles of medical ethics
Beneficence
Non-maleficence
Autonomy
Justice
Describe the meaning of beneficence
To do good and avoid evil
Describe the meaning of autonomy
Acknowledging a patients right to make their own choices,
to hold views, and to take actions based on
personal values and beliefs
Describe the meaning of justice
Treat others equally and distribute
benefits/burdens fairly
Describe the meaning of non maleficence
Don’t inflict harm intentionally
What is the closest thing to the hippocratic oath in the UK?
GMC’s good medical practice document
4 domains of good medical practice?
Knowledge, skills and performance
Safety and quality
Communication, partnership and teamwork
Maintaining trust
What domain is confidentiality a part of?
Maintaining trust
Why is confidentiality so important in maintaining trust
Patients may under-report symptoms or avoid medical help altogether if they think their personal info is at risk of being spread without consent
Doctors are under both BLANK and BLANK duties to protect patients’ personal information from improper disclosure.
Ethical and Legal
But BLANK BLANK BLANK is an essential part of the provision of safe and effective care, why?
Appropriate information sharing
Why - Patients may be put at risk if those who are providing their care do not have access to relevant, accurate and up-to-date information about them.
Does confidentiality extend to children and the dead? Is there any exceptions?
Yes it does
Exception - medical certificate of death
Medical confidentiality is based on the law of… meaning…
Law of contract and equity, meaning breach of confidentiality is a breach of contract
When are re-partitive damages awarded against the doctor?
If the patient can demonstrate the he has suffered harm in the civil courts
Information acquired by doctors in their professional capacity will generally
be confidential under the BLANK law
Common law
When can a doctor disclose confidential info?
Only when there is a legal basis to do so
What is the GDPR?
The new general data protection regulations that came into force 24th May 2018
The GDPR defines personal data as…
any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person
Situations where confidentiality can be breached?
With the patient’s consent
With other medical practitioners in the patient’s interest
In the doctors own defence
Statutory requirements – prevention, detection and prosecution of serious crime
When directed to by a court of law
Protection of other persons
In the public interest (terrorism, murder, culpable homicide, rape)
Child abuse
