pros and cons of confidentiality in healthcare

We want to work with you to help your adolescent make the best choices for a healthy future. Adolescents face considerable potential harms to their health from mental health disorders, interpersonal violence, substance use, and unprotected sexual activity. Sharing Patient Information: Pros, Cons and Implications Similar recommendations are supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine 18. Forgone health care among U.S. adolescents: associations between risk characteristics and confidentiality concern. Online Therapy It is important for obstetriciangynecologists to be aware of their individual state and local laws. Implementation toolkit. These are the kinds of questions that are important to consider, and difficult to answer using legal theories of confidentiality. The Importance of Supplemental Disability Insurance. The Pros and Cons of Using Artificial Intelligence in the Healthcare An overview of consent to reproductive health services by young people . Additionally, they should be informed of any restrictions to the confidential nature of the relationship. Optimally, obstetriciangynecologists should ensure that medical record information, including EHR information, for care provided under minor consent or mature minor provisions is considered confidential and should not be disclosed to parents or guardians without adolescent consent. My first patient living with HIV came to me when I was a new nurse in a Chicago hospital. Many institutions struggle to meet the current standard for providing access to and maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive portions of the medical record as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 4. According Chernichovsky (2009), the term Socialize medicine is defined as a health system where by which the government owns and operates both the financing of healthcare and also its delivery. Whether or not to disclose personal medical information is often said to be a balancing act between the benefits of keeping confidentiality and the benefits of waiving it. Thirty-seven states require physicians to maintain confidentiality of medical records almost all states have placed some restrictions on the use of information contained in medical records that are held by state agencies. They are of the belief that by respecting another persons privacy is a form of realizing the attributes that enable humans to have their own moral uniqueness. After her murder, the family sued, claiming that the physician should have warned the victim. Pros and Cons Ensure compliance by their workforce. This is due to the fact that if the doctor might not be able to offer the right care to the patient. Those who have good insurance Please try reloading page. Although many genetic traits may be passed on to ones children, they clearly are not transmissible in the same way as contagious diseases and thus do not exactly fit under a discussion of public health concerns. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule, however, defers to state and other federal applicable laws about disclosure of protected health information for unemancipated minors that may allow health care providers discretion regarding parental or guardian access to a minors protected health information 15. Quality healthcare services: The US has modern medical equipment and ensures citizens are able to get quality medical care. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(21), e46. If the EHR system does not allow for procedures to maintain adolescent confidentiality, the obstetriciangynecologist or staff should inform the patient that parents or guardians will have access to the records, and the patient should be given the option of referral to a health care provider who is required to provide confidential care. People would have to worry less about their future. Conclusion Douglas and colleagues article discusses the wider health effects of the pandemic response.1 There is, however, one matter that hasnt been discussed in any media at allthe frequent breach in confidentiality. Confidentiality protections for adolescents and young adults in the health care billing and insurance claims process. Consequentialist theory suggests that without assurances of confidentiality, patients are less likely to disclose important medical information to their doctors. The Pros of Using AI. All of the different ways of conceptualizing confidentiality include exceptions, allowing disclosure under certain circumstances or to particular agencies. At the initial visit, the obstetriciangynecologist should discuss the following issues with the parent or guardian and the patient: 1) the meaning and importance of confidentiality; 2) the scope of confidentiality protection; and 3) the limitations of confidentiality 1. However, there are some circumstances when it is necessary for the obstetriciangynecologist to share private information with a parent or guardian or others. However, there is concern that it may result in important confidentiality breaches for adolescent patients. ACOG Committee Opinion No. Only a few states have comprehensive confidentiality laws, and many states control disclosure of health information through a combination of statutes addressing everything from particular disease information to autopsy records. Telehealth: The advantages and disadvantages - Harvard Health Potential for disclosure of laboratory results, prescriptions, and diagnoses may occur with itemized explanation of benefits statements. Teens also have a right to confidential mental health and substance abuse treatment. When a patient turns 18 years old, allow EHR systems to reset the patient as an adult. This information is designed as an educational resource to aid clinicians in providing obstetric and gynecologic care, and use of this information is voluntary. The other advantage for concealing health information to the service provider may end up being detrimental to the patient. All rights reserved. 26th January 2022 Tech Digest Correspondent Health. For products jointly developed with other organizations, conflict of interest disclosures by representatives of the other organizations are addressed by those organizations. Confidentiality discussions and private time with a health-care provider for youth, United States, 2016. Obstetriciangynecologists are encouraged to know their individual systems and institutional policies regarding confidentiality, EHRs, patient portals, and the open access for visit notes. WebCharge capture refers to tracking each charge to a patient for medical services given. Obstetriciangynecologists who work with adolescent patients have a unique perspective and are encouraged to work with their institutions to protect patients confidentiality. They are required to keep information about patients health private unless the patient give permission to release his/her health information (De Bord et al, 2013). Pros and cons of disclosing your HIV status Many people are familiar with the idea of confidentiality as an integral part of the professional code of ethics in the legal, medical, and mental health fields. The capacity of an adolescent to consent for health care as a mature minor is influenced by the minors developmental maturity, previous experience with illness, the gravity of the current illness, and the risks of proposed therapy. WebWhich type of survey should I use? This information should not be considered as inclusive of all proper treatments or methods of care or as a statement of the standard of care. Guttmacher Institute. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reviews its publications regularly; however, its publications may not reflect the most recent evidence. Big data definitely Contradictory viewpoints. State confidentiality protections vary widely. In fact, quite a lot of personal information is not protected at all. Cons: Physicians have less autonomy and less continuity with patients. BMJ Qual Saf 2017;26:26270. Available at: Confidentiality in Adolescent Health Care, Addressing Patients and Parents or Guardians About Confidentiality, Provision of Health Care to Adolescent Patients, Suggestions for Protecting Adolescent Confidentiality Within Institutions, https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-minors-consent-law, https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/adolescent-confidentiality.html, https://www.nihcm.org/component/content/article/5-issue-brief/1287-protecting-confidential-health-services-for-adolescents-young-adults, https://www.opennotes.org/tools-resources/for-health-care-providers/implementation-toolkit/, https://www.cahl.org/state-minor-consent-laws-a-summary-third-edition, Alliance for Innovation on Women's Health, Postpartum Contraceptive Access Initiative. 803. This section outlines the mandatory reporting situations (those that require disclosure to specific authorities) as well as the permissive exceptions (those that allow a physician to use his or her own discretion in deciding whether to disclose a patients information). Its just a matter of figuring out under what circumstances disclosures should occur. Implement systemwide changes: train front desk personnel and medical staff who work with EHRs and answer office phone calls to be aware of and advocate for the confidentiality of adolescent patients as they transition into the adult health care system Box 3. A 2016 study demonstrated that, when given the opportunity, adolescents use of EHRs afforded enhanced medical care and, although they accessed the portal less for laboratory results, appointments, or prescriptions, adolescents did engage in frequent confidential communications with their health care providers through patient portals 4. Knowing what confidentiality laws in your area cover can help you make informed decisions about how your information is shared. Another problem, however, House confidential information in a separate section of the EHR that is not open access. The consequences of undermining this duty of confidence would be damaging to the individuals health and treatment. Many Definitions of Patient Confidentiality, When You Cannot Expect Medical Information to Remain Confidential. AI can be used for diagnostics, helping Effective patientphysician communication. The bill consists of 11 sections and was created as a reaction to high numbers of fraud and business misbehavior in major US corporations. The maintenance of patient confidentiality may be affected by the widespread adoption and integration of electronic health records (EHRs) in clinical care, which may necessitate a closer evaluation of the unique challenge this presents for providers of adolescent health care. Because research allows better treatments to be developed and in this way serves the general public, it seems reasonable that disclosure should be permissible under certain circumstances, provided that individuals have the option of remaining anonymous. WebConfidentiality refers to protection of privileged and private information shared during a health care encounter and in medical records that document the encounter 1. All rights reserved. Every patient has got the right to privacy and therefore has got every right to ensure that the information about his or her health is concealed. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has neither solicited nor accepted any commercial involvement in the development of the content of this published product. For that matter, it is important to note that by ensuring privacy, this will promote more effective communication between the service provider and the patient. Committee on Adolescence, Council on Clinical and Information Technology. WebHealth care workers must respect patients confidences. WebThe Cons Confidentiality and the institution of HIPAA hasnt been all positive. Patient access varies widely across institutions and by the type of EHR used by the health care provider. When providing care for neurotypical (ie, without a defined neurologic difference) adolescents, obstetriciangynecologists and other health care providers should consider issues of parental access to the adolescents login information. Many associations of health professionals caring for minors, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, recognize the importance of confidentiality in providing health care for adolescents 7 8 9. Because It Works, Nature Documentaries Could Help Save the Planet, Use of this site is your Agreement to the Terms. Modern healthcare organizations have turned to electronic medical records (EMRs) in an Web2 Pros and Cons of Managed Care in America Introduction I. Duty to warn cases focus on (1) the seriousness of the threat of harm and (2) the identifiability of the victim (whether there is a specific individual at risk). A variety of organizational structures. Miscommunication during handovers can lead to unnecessary Ethical Dilemmas: Breaking Confidentiality The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists encourages obstetriciangynecologists and other health care providers to ensure that their existing EHR systems protect the confidentiality of minor patients, including any OpenNotes features. This claim is endlessly repeated but deeply obscure. The most obvious examples of public health concerns outweighing individual rights to confidentiality are from contagious disease cases. This document has been updated to include information on patient portals, guidance on the release of medical records, examples of ways to safeguard adolescent patients' confidentiality, and talking points to use with parents and guardians. Protection of privacy also ensures that the societal values are also protected. The Pros And Cons Of Confidentiality - 1814 Words Chapel Hill (NC): Center for Adolescent Health and the Law; 2010. The privacy rule, which is based on requirements contained in HIPAA, provides protection against parents or guardians access to protected health information for the following circumstances: adolescents aged 18 years and older; emancipated minors; minors who can legally consent to services or receive services without parental or guardian consent or notification according to state or other applicable law; or when a parent or guardian assents to an agreement of confidentiality between the minor adolescent and health care provider. Adolescents gain more ownership over their own health: We encourage adolescents to be active participants in their health care as a step toward becoming adults and to take on more responsibility. Medicare is often a target when politicians seek a quick way to cut costs. Disclosing genetic information is another issue in public health. OpenNotes. 1. Ford C, English A, Sigman G. Confidential health care for adolescents: position paper for the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Having a physician or other health care provider advocate may be helpful to explore system limitations and to provide support for an adolescent-friendly EHR system, if possible. Cons: Physicians have less autonomy and less continuity with patients. With appropriate safeguards, EHRs may offer more security than traditional paper-record systems. Additionally, they should be informed of any restrictions to the confidential nature of the relationship. (Health care providers should be cognizant of potential coercion by parent or guardian to maintain access.). No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, posted on the internet, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 409 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-2188Confidentiality in adolescent health care. The bottom line is that not all information, even medical information, is automatically granted legal protection from disclosure: only information that is particularly sensitive is protected (and even sensitive information may be disclosed under certain circumstances). OpenNotes. They are of the argument that privacy is in itself objectively valuable, as an important component of human well-being. Although most The network of participating doctors and hospitals. Almost all states have child abuse reporting statutes. Finally, keeping private the information about the health of the patient, this will negatively affect his or her life. Insurance companies may provide their policyholders discounted medical treatment by entering into agreements with doctors' offices and hospitals. p. 82810, for complete requirements.) Adolescent girls' and boys' preferences for provider gender and confidentiality in their health care. See Box 1 and ACOG Committee Opinion No. While gaining the adolescents trust, we still encourage them to discuss issues with their parents or guardians. Although this can be viewed as a good thing because patients do have the right to see their own health data, it also opens doors for security concerns. Webthe confidentiality of adolescents health care in-formation are fundamentally necessary to allow health care professionals to provide appropriate health care to adolescents and Unlike electronic medical records stored on cloud servers, paper medical records need physical space for storage purposes. There are some problems with paper medical records. Quicker access to test results. Introduction Pros and Cons of Technology in Healthcare. Obstet Gynecol 2020;135:e4350. How do we weigh the pros and cons of sharing personal health information with others in the medical community and with the government? WebHere are some Pros and Cons of personal health records: Pros: Correction of medical errors within the medical record was possible Patients had a broader knowledge base of their health concerns and decreased utilization of healthcare services Opportunities were provided for increased effective communication between patients and physicians