Privacy and confidentiality ( health care ethics) Essay - 1

Privacy and confidentiality ( health care ethics) - Essay Example it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret† (as translated by Francis Adams). Why is it appropriate that the healthcare practitioners to keep mum over the medical conditions of patients? It just makes practical sense that medical professionals should uphold the confidentiality of their clients. This is because in the clinical setting patients are expected to fully disclose their habits, their ailments, their strengths, and their weaknesses. Beyond this, they are frequently required to undress and allow physicians access to their bodies for examination, treatments, and surgery. Thus, the patient is vulnerable, needy, and prone to feelings of shame. Patients endure these experiences because they want to be treated for what ails them and because they trust their physicians to keep their secrets. If this trust were eroded, it might follow that patients would become unable to seek medical attention or they will be hesitant to disclose some information that is vital for their treatment. Most often, dilemmas arise when medical practitioners should or should not disclose patient information. For, example, confidentiality is regarded as crucial by those involved in the care of mentally ill or emotionally disturbed patients. A stigma has traditionally surrounded those with mental disorders. This is why the preservation of confidentiality is necessary to ensure that patients are prepared to come forward for treatment and that they continue with treatment. Patients require that assurance. They do not want the risk of becoming the butt of cruel jokes and being socially ostracized. Another example, in family research, is that when both the husband and wife may report on sensitive topics such as his and her own and the partner’s extramarital relationships, marital aggression, or alcohol use. Margolin et al. (2005) revealed that the â€Å"standard safeguard for discomfort