When it comes to patient confidentiality, nurses are faced with the challenge of assuring the client utmost privacy on the information they share. Kourkouta & Papathanasiou (2014) note that nurses should be aware of the persons surrounding a patient when sharing information. Usually, this is not possible due to congestions in the wards, especially during epidemics, where the healthcare system is overwhelmed.
Looking deeper into this issue, critical persons involved include nurses, the patient, and the patient’s immediate caregiver. While the nurse is involved in the wellbeing of the patient, during shift changes, other nurses can have access to confidential information, which can result in a breach. When it comes to the patient, they may feel obliged to share the information with other neighboring patients. Lastly, the patient’s caregivers may be tempted to share the information they receive with other distant relatives or friends. All these are possible issues that encompass the issue of confidentiality.
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In cases where there are breaches, the confidence in the nursing profession is undermined, and this can lead to future patients withholding vital information leading to adverse treatment outcomes. To curb this issue, most hospitals have adopted the use of electronic health records that log users who access the data, to ensure responsibility among the profession; however, preliminary results of this system have proved effective. Also, there is the issue of hospital layout and bed capacity that ensures a healthy distance between patients to prevent information from sipping to unintended ears.
| ALTERNATIVES | TIME | COST | STAFF SATISFACTION | LONG TERM EFFECTS | TOTAL SCORE |
| Adoption of an EHR system that logs access user data |
A considerable amount of time needed for the software installation and training of staff on using it ws 23 |
Hefty costs and resources in license acquisition and staff training with periodical updates. ws 24 |
Reduces paperwork, thus promotes more time serving the patient. Ensures easier records retrieval, thus saves on time. ws 68 |
More efficient care and better patient interactions leading to better patient outcomes (Sulmasy et al., 2017) ws 71 |
186 |
| Better ward layout designs |
Extensive time needed for redesigning the wards. ws 20 |
Substantial cost required for space development. ws 21 |
Better personal space when dealing with clients to prevent information slippage. ws 63 |
Improved patient safety, especially in contagious epidemics such as the flu ws 73 |
177 |
| Mandatory nursing care workshops on confidentiality |
Extensive time to implement. Workshops would have to be ongoing periodically. ws 15 |
Minimal costs required for educational materials. ws 33 |
Staff may resist the workshops, but incentives such as sitting allowance may mitigate the resistance. ws 27 |
May result in enhanced teamwork, especially during shift changes. Also, will promote confidentiality standards among the nursing personnel. ws 65 |
140 |
References
Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. V. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Materia Socio-Medica , 26 (1), 65.
Sulmasy, L. S., López, A. M., Horwitch, C. A., & American College of Physicians Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee. (2017). Ethical implications of the electronic health record: in the service of the patient. Journal of General Internal Medicine , 32 (8), 935-939.
