confidentiality drs. a. latus and b. barrowman isd ii - pediatrics may 7, 2003
TRANSCRIPT
Case 1 - Amber
Amber is a 15 year old female who is requesting a prescription for the birth control pill.
Has not yet had sexual intercourse with anyone, but is thinking about doing so with current boyfriend, also 15 years old.
Says she just wants to be prepared. They have been going out for about a year and she
says the relationship is “serious”. Does not want her parents to be told about any of
this.
– Should you tell her parents about this request?– Would you provide the birth control prescription without
telling her parents?
Case 2 - George George is a 14 year old male who visits you, his
pediatrician, regarding his acne. Has a quite severe case & has heard that there are
drugs available that might help him In your opinion, the best treatment would involve
taking Accutane. You would be quite comfortable prescribing the drug
if G’s parents were part of this decision, but he does not want them involved.
G’s parents disapprove of “taking drugs” to solve a “minor problem” like acne.
G, however, sees his acne as a major problem
– Should you tell his parents about this request?– Would you provide the prescription without telling
George’s parents?
Hippocratic Oath
“All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.”
Canadian Medical AssociationCode of Ethics
“22. Respect the patient’s right to confidentiality except when this right conflicts with your responsibility to the law, or when the maintenance of confidentiality would result in a significant risk of substantial harm to others or to the patient if the patient is incompetent...”
Ethical Basis of Obligation of Confidentiality1. Beneficence: Expectation of confidentiality
facilitates patient care
– communication between doctor and patient essential to the relationship
– doctor requires information to give proper advice and Rx
– much of that information is very personal and private
– patients are more likely to reveal such information if they are confident it will not be revealed to third parties without their permission
Ethical Basis of Obligation of Confidentiality
2. Autonomy/Respect for Patients
– general view that people have a right to control the release of sensitive/personal information about themselves
revealing information in a clinical setting is not equivalent to giving permission for free release of that information
– some would even claim that your personal health information (or financial information or …) is somehow roughly equivalent to your property and so not to be used without your permission
Overcoming Confidentiality
Notice that both reasons for valuing confidentiality raise the possibility of limits to confidentiality. Broadly:
– Beneficence: confidentiality may be breached when a certain level/sort of harm will be prevented
– Respect for patient: confidentiality may be breached when respect for you and/or others requires this
Confidentiality – the Legal Obligation Longstanding principle developed by courts
– arises from special relationship of trust and confidence between doctor and patient
– essential in promoting open communication – protects patient’s right to privacy and reputation
Statutory requirement in many health care settings - legislation governing hospitals generally mandates nondisclosure of hospital records
Current Interest in Privacy For reasons not solely connected with health care,
governments have taken a great interest in privacy recently
– Federal Legislation: Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (2001-4)
Broadly speaking, requires organizations to obtain your consent when they collect, use or disclose personal information (including medical information) about you
– Provincial Legislation: NL Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (passed, but not yet proclaimed)
Some talk of legislation aimed specifically at health information
Breach of Duty of Confidentiality
Doctor potentially liable to patient for damages ($) in action for breach of confidentiality
Not a common cause of civil action or finding of liability
Professional disciplinary proceedings - very common cause of complaint
Circumstances of Breach of Confidentiality Most often careless/inadvertent
– office staff indiscretion– elevator chatter– discussion in rounds– inattention to wording of release– unguarded conversation with patients’
friends/relatives– classroom
Breach of Confidentiality -Electronic Records Must exercise special care with use of
fax, e-mail, other electronic means of transmission of patient health information - confidentiality easily compromised
Large number of people with potential access to information
Exceptions to the Requirement of Confidentiality
Express consent Implied consent Legal proceedings Statutory requirements Protection of the public
Express Consent
Doctor may disclose confidential information when authorized or directed by patient to do so
Should obtain written authorization when info of sensitive nature or to be released to third party e.g. employer, insurer, etc
Written authorization may be required by legislation e.g. NL Hospitals Act
Express Consent
For authorization for release of information to be valid, patient must have mental capacity to understand nature and effect of consenting to release of confidential information
Some provinces have legislation re. substitute consent
Important to have clear understanding of extent of information to be disclosed
– i.e. all of chart? specific parts?
Implied Consent
Patient’s authorization for release of information may be reasonably implied in some cases
– e.g., consultation or discussions among members of health care team
Information should be shared with other health care (or related) professionals only where reasonably necessary for care and treatment of patient or for safety of those treating patient
Implied Consent
Implied consent to release information about patient to family members?
Onus on physician to show reasonable basis for implied consent if there is later dispute
Ask patient first whether ok to talk to family members
Legal Proceedings
Physician may not disclose confidential information even in case of service of subpoena or police investigation, except when ordered to do so by court or pursuant to search warrant
No legal obligation to report to police names of patients who may have been involved in criminal activity
Legal Proceedings
To comply with duty of confidentiality, physician should request police to obtain search warrant for production of chart in response to police inquiries about a patient
General rule that physician called as witness in legal proceedings must answer all relevant questions asked under oath
Doctor-patient communications not categorically protected from disclosure in court, however court has discretion, particularly in area of mental health, to excuse doctor from disclosing information
Statutory Requirements
Several provincial and federal statutes which require a physician to divulge info obtained through doctor-patient relationship
Several statutes provide for prosecution and penalties for failure to comply with disclosure obligations
Statutory Requirements
Suspected child abuse Patient who may be unfit to drive Commercial pilot unfit to fly Reportable communicable diseases Suspicious deaths Vital statistics Workers compensation Medicare billing information
Statutory Requirements - Child Abuse NL Child Youth and Family Services Act
– Mandatory reporting where person has information that child is or may be “in need of protective intervention”
– Includes physical, sexual emotional abuse, neglect, living with violence, etc.
– Applies to all professionals who work with children
Statutory Requirements - Fitness to Drive/Fly NL Highway Traffic Act - mandatory reporting
of “persons … suffering from condition that may make it dangerous to operate a motor vehicle”
Aeronautics Act - duty to report flight crew or air traffic controller who has medical or optometric condition likely to constitute hazard to aviation safety
Statutory Requirements -Communicable Diseases Specific reporting requirements vary in
different jurisdictions
Report notifiable diseases to Community Health Offices in NF
Variable reporting requirements for different infections
Protection of the Public - Is there a Duty to Warn? Situations where physician has duty to
society because need to divulge information outweighs duty of confidentiality to patient
Tarasoff, Smith v. Jones cases
Disclosure of confidential information justified (required?) where clear and imminent risk of serious harm or death to identifiable person(s)
Case: Patient Access to Records
Patient starting to see Dr. New, requests copy of all of her records from Dr. New. Dr. New agrees to copy his own notes but not to provide copies of records created by Drs. Prior and Specialist in his possession.
Issues
– Who owns the records?– Who has access to information in the records?– Are there exceptions to patients’ right of access?
Patient Access to Records - McInerney v. MacDonald (SCC 1992)
Mrs MacD became patient of Dr McI after being treated by several other physicians over the years.
She became concerned that she may have received inadequate care prior to seeing Dr McI and requested a copy of her complete medical file including reports from other physicians
Dr McI provided her own notes, but not those prepared by other physicians, stating that those were the property of the other physicians, and that it would be unethical for her to release them
Patient Access to Records - McInerney v. MacDonald (SCC 1992) “The physician, institution or clinic compiling the
medical records owns the physical records.”
“A patient is entitled, upon request, to examine and copy all information in his medical records which the physician considered in administering advice and treatment, including records prepared by other doctors…”
The doctor has a duty to “act with utmost good faith and loyalty, and to hold information received from or about a patient in confidence…The purpose of keeping the documents secret is to promote the proper functioning of the relationship…”
Patient Access to Records - McInerney v. MacDonald (SCC 1992)
Access to medical records should enhance the trust inherent in the doctor-patient relationship.”
“Patients should have access to their medical records in all but a small number of circumstances.”
Doctors may refuse if “there is a significant likelihood of a substantial adverse effect on the physical, mental or emotional health of the patient or harm to a third party.”
Onus on physician to justify refusal
Minors and Confidentiality/Access to Health Information In general, a decisionally capable
minor’s right to access his or her own health information is the same as that of an adult
Likewise he or she is also generally entitled to confidentiality with respect to that information
Minors and Confidentiality/Access to Health Information
Parental access to their children’s health information
– parents generally entitled to disclosure of decisionally incapable child’s health information
– necessary in order to make appropriate health care decisions for child
Minors and Confidentiality/Access to Health Information
Controversial issue - can a minor, although not capable of making treatment decisions, prevent MD from disclosing to parents that he or she has sought professional advice - e.g. re sex, drugs, etc.?
– not conclusively settled in Canadian law
Seeking Advice
Complexity of requirements of and exceptions to duty of confidentiality
Seek advice from provincial licensing authorities or legal counsel (CMPA) when in doubt
Case 1
Amber is a 15 year old female who is requesting a prescription for the birth control pill.
Has not yet had sexual intercourse with anyone, but is thinking about doing so with current boyfriend, also 15 years old.
Says she just wants to be prepared. They have been going out for about a year and she
says the relationship is “serious”. Does not want her parents to be told about any of
this.
– Should you tell her parents about this meeting?– Would you provide the birth control prescription without
telling her parents?
Case 2 George is a 14 year old male who visits you, his
pediatrician, regarding his acne. Has a quite severe case & has heard that there are
drugs available that might help him In your opinion, the best treatment would involve
taking Accutane. You would be quite comfortable prescribing the drug
if G’s parents were part of this decision, but he does not want them involved.
G’s parents disapprove of “taking drugs” to solve a “minor problem” like acne.
G, however, sees his acne as a major problem
– Should you tell his parents about this meeting?– Would you provide the prescription without telling
George’s parents?
Case 3 Amber is a 15 year old female who is requesting a
prescription for the birth control pill and testing for HIV as she acknowledges she has had unprotected sexual intercourse.
The HIV test returns negative.
Amber does not want her parents to be told about the HIV test nor about the birth control pills (if you prescribe them).
– What factors are ethically/legally relevant here?– Should you tell her parents about this visit? – Should you prescribe the birth control pills without telling her
parents?
Case 4
Approx. 18 months ago, Samantha, 11, was treated for osteosarcoma in her left arm. Her arm was amputated & she was given chemotherapy
Recent tests indicate the cancer has recurred and metastasized to her lungs.
Even with aggressive treatment Samantha’s chances for recovery are less than 20%.
Samantha’s parents want treatment to continue Samantha adamantly refuses further treatment. She protests, “You already made me give up Snowy
[her cat, to reduce the risk of infection] and my arm. What more do you want?”
A capacity assessment indicates that Samantha is probably incapable of making treatment decisions (From Bioethics for Clinicians 9)