Patient Confidentiality Research Paper

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"AMA Journal of Ethics." VM. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. Over hundreds of years, patient confidentiality laws and privacy in health care settings has grown stronger and stricter, allowing patients to feel comfortable when speaking to their physicians. It was not only the patient-physician relationship that demonstrated the need for patient confidentiality, but there are also a variety of outside forces and factors that contributed to this discovery. History has shown that patient confidentiality is a human rights issue that continuously evolves as the era changes, that concerns our individual liberties that must not be infringed upon.
"Californian Sentenced to Prison for HIPAA Violation | Journal of AHIMA." Journal of AHIMA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016 In 2010, Huping Zhou, a certified cardiothoracic surgeon working for UCLA, was sentenced to four years in prison and was fined of $2,000. Zhou was the first person in the United States to be imprisoned for a misdemeanor HIPAA violation, though he was definitely not the last. After accessing several patients’ information, many times and without a specific reason, he was put on trial and convicted, regardless of the fact that he said he was unaware that accessing patient records was a crime. Zhou’s imprisonment shows the consequences of failing to cooperate with HIPAA regulations. "Confidentiality, Patient/Physician." -- AAFP Policies. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, protecting the information that is shared between physician and patient assures that the patient will trust the physician with their deepest concerns. Privacy is a right that should be protected, and privacy is the crux of patient confidentiality. The rules and regulations concerning sharing information about a patient change between different states and federal lines, but it is crucial to understand these fundamental understandings: privacy is a fundamental right, medical information should remain confidential, patients have access to their personal documents, adolescents have privacy from their parents, and confidentiality includes aspects outside the patient/physician relationship. Disclosure of patient information may be made for a specific purpose, and there are some instances where patient records can be released to other physicians or if the patient’s safety is in jeopardy. "Fact Sheets." Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. The United States has established and strong patient confidentiality laws and regulations set by the HIPAA, similar to that of other countries around the world. In Canada, the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act protects the citizens of Canada by regulating how corporations and organizations collect and distribute information. Specifically, the PIPEDA watches over patients and safeguards their medical information. "Guidelines for Using Electronic and Social Media: The Regulatory Perspective." Guidelines for Using Electronic and Social Media: The Regulatory Perspective. N.p., n.d. Web. 18
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In medicine, specifically in the field of nursing, social media has become a convenient and easy way to maintain communication from coworker to coworker or from nurse to patient. Unknowingly and blindly, nurses often invade and violate their patients’ privacy when using social media in a variety of ways, including via forwarded emails and public blogs. This reveals a problem and a flaw in the system, as nurses demonstrate negligent and ignorant behavior online. As we progress in the world of technology and social media, our physicians and nurses must be able to maintain professionalism in order to abide by the rules and regulations of health …show more content…
A huge portion of the HIPAA deals with patient confidentiality and the way patient information is transported to and from individuals.
"HIPAA Violations and Enforcement." HIPAA Violations and Enforcement. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. Violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) comes with a strict list of penalties put into action by legal acts set by the government. The consequences are composed of monetary fines that vary based on the magnitude of the infraction. The severity of a HIPAA violation is based on whether or not the practitioner knew they were in violation, willful neglect, and correction of the violation. Criminal penalties are more brutal than the usual penalties, since they include larger monetary fines, along with possible years of imprisonment.
Merideth, Philip. "The Five C's of Confidentiality and How to DEAL with Them." Psychiatry (Edgmont). Matrix Medical Communications, n.d. Web. 22 Mar.

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