why is it important to protect patients privacy, confidentiality?

Question

when working in a medical center

Answer 1

Because it's the law, for one. Otherwise, patient privacy is all about dignity and rights of the patient. They should be able to receive healthcare without the whole world knowing what's wrong. Some people don't even want their family to know, and if they themselves don't tell them, neither can we. Also, giving out medical record numbers and names and addresses can cause identity theft.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

HIPPA, you can lose your job/liscense for not following it...the center you work at can get a fine or even sued by the patient involved. Many people don't even want they're family knowing what conditions/problems they have,and it's the patients right. Say a woman goes into a pharmacy and says she wants the printouts of all the drugs her family has had for the whole year,we can give her her records and any childrens (as long as they are under 18) but we cannot give her husbands...he has to be there to get it and sign a release form.Those laws are SUPPOSED to be followed at ANY kind of health care facility or provider but they are not most of the time. Did you know that a pharmacist cannot talk over someones meds with a patient if there is someone standing behind them or next to them,we have to ask them to step back for privacy.Have you ever been in a walmart,kmart,or walgreens...any retail store that has a pharmacy and have heard them say over the speaker system "will the party waiting for Anderson please return to the pharmacy"????I hear it all the time,and it is against the hipaa law to even call out someones last name like that. But we do it because otherwise the person goes walking around the store for who knows how long,comes back and finds out the pharmacy cant fill they're drug or something...which results in a very mad customer.So the law is important,but is not followed every where.

Answer 4

There is a common sense approach to your question and the answer is in your question, in one word....protect. The information contained within a patients medical file is private. From the patient info (name, DOB, SS#, address etc etc.) to the Doctor's diagnosis and prognosis of the patient (ailment, disease, treatment etc. etc.) all that is confidential. Anybody who works in the Medical Field knows that an employee who has access to a patients chart and the information contained within it, must not speak to anyone about it's content unless it is within the parameters of the job duties. If you are overheard, let's say as some restaurant talking to your friends about John Doe who had this infection on his ____ and somebody in the next booth overheard you and recognized that patients name, or worse was the patient, you could be sued as well as the Doctor you work for. It's a law that is in place to protect the privacy of the patient. It's a good law and it is necessary.

Answer 5

BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT SAID SO AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR LICENSE IF YOU HAVE ONE