Patient confidentiality has remained one of the most crucial issues in the nursing profession. This is in view of the fact that we listen to our patients’ stories and we spend more time with them. Hence, we know what they are going through.

When you first entered a nursing school, some of the basic principles taught were about patient confidentiality. One of these is that we should never discuss anything about our patient with someone who is not directly involved in patient care may it be to our family members, friends and even colleagues. Yes, even with our colleagues. Why? Because there are instances that it may be overheard by other people. On the other hand, to maintain confidentiality, we are instructed not to read the chart of another patient who are not assigned to us.

When you started your career as a nurse, you are faced with a bigger responsibility. You are now expected to deal with more complex situations – complex situations which do not merely involve putting nursing theories into practice. Rather, it involves you weighing the benefits of the actions you are going to take and considering the possible consequences of these actions.

With this, Bioethics plays a very important role in our profession. Knowing the principle of confidentiality will not just be beneficial to your patient but it will also allow you to protect your hard-earned license. Remember that the effect of a single mistake may possibly take a lifetime. Thus, as a registered nurse, we should know the dos and don’ts regarding disclosure of patient information.

First, you have to know that confidentiality is your patient’s right. Hence, before you can disclose any information, you have to obtain an informed consent. Written consent is advisable but there are instances that verbal consent will do. However, you also need to know that this right is not absolute. There are times that it may be waived for their welfare and for the sake of other people who are involved in their care.

Sometimes, we unconsciously breach this right to confidentiality. There are circumstances that we discuss our patient’s case to our colleagues or even use their case for our case studies. However, its effect is negligible and rarely brings harm to our patients. The benefits of doing this are attributed to knowledge-gaining as we discuss the case and not the patient’s personal life.

However, whatever purpose we have for disclosing patient information, we should always put our patient’s welfare first. We should keep in mind that part of our duty is to obtain informed consent. As we do this, we should consider our patient’s level of understanding, age and ability to comprehend. Our explanation should be brief and concise. We do not need to go into thorough details as this may not help our patients and may be overwhelmed with information that we will provide.

Maintaining patient confidentiality is really a great challenge for nurses and other healthcare professionals considering that they are expected to work as a team. However, though it may seem difficult to keep, always put our patient’s welfare first. If it will bring significant benefits to them, then you have enough reason to do it. Keep in mind that a single word that you utter that breaches confidentiality will take a long-term effect on your career.