How To Prevent Breach Of Confidentiality

Confidentiality. What is it? Confidentiality is the state of keeping sensitive information or a secret private. As an administrative professional, you will come to contact with private and sensitive information. Working ethically includes protecting the confidentiality of that information (under any circumstances. In some cases it’s a literally a legal requirement. Having that sort of power is something that you truly don’t want to abuse. Regardless of the situation, this cardinal rule will also speak volume to your character. Unfortunately, breaches of confidentiality are sometimes intentional. It can occur through ignorance, carelessness and occasionally pettiness.

The List below is multiple violations of a Confidentiality breach:

• Discussing private information( physically or through any device)
• Using a client’s name as the subject line of an email
• Leaving an employee’s file displayed on a computer
• Disscusing a patient’s medical condition with a family member without permission
• Releasing more information than was requested

Now, the BIGGEST breach in my eyes that I’ve personally experienced for myself is discussing a patient medical condition with a family member without permission. Many people, make this mistake without even realizing it. When I was working in a hospital as patient registrar, my duties was to enroll the patients and see what they’re here for. Now I had a friend of 10 years that has been enrolled in the hospital for illness. I’ve found out that her illness was passed on to her and eventually cost her life in 2014.

I accidently breached confidentiality by going home venting to my parents (out of sadness and frustration). No it didn’t cost me my job, and nobody knew about it. It was a selfish and impulsive act on my behalf, due to my emotions getting in the way. It was a violation because even though that was a friend of 10 years. I found out that personal information through enrolling her into the hospital. Now, it wasn’t intentional but like I said before it was selfish impulsive and careless. If that individual would have told me in the comforts of my own home along with my family then that would have been different.

In order to prevent breach of confidentiality, you can take the easiest steps. It’s as little as closing out a file or putting it back in its rightful place. Keep your emotions in check and gaining self-control will also help. Not being so careless and nonchalant with information you come across. You never know whose watching you, or has an agenda. You just have to treat every piece of information, conversation like it was meant to be confidential. I’m proof that these guidelines are effective. You have to put yourself in that individuals shoes and really consider; how would you feel if someone shared your personal information to complete strangers? These things makes you reconsider about breaching confidentiality.

A real life breach situation occurred with Kaiser Permanente’s hospital in California. “This hospital was fined with $250,000 for breach of privacy. Kaiser Hospital did not prevent snooping employees from snooping in medical records of Nadya Suleman, the mother who set off a media frenzy by giving birth to octuplets. Suleman’s record extended beyond Bellflower hospital and continued even after Kaiser informed regulators it had a breach. Eight other workers at Kaiser Hospital and chains in regional office were among though implicated.” So in other terms, 8 unauthorized employees accessed Suleman’s medical files due to the media frenzy about her have octuplets. Eventually the information spread throughout multiple Kaiser Hospitals.

In my eyes, that was a complete violation of breach confidentiality. Them being employee’s knowing their job description, it was totally outline and inappropriate for them to dig in Suleman’s files about the situation. Regardless if it was in the media or not, they were not authorized to do so. That could have been prevented by having certain employees handling that case/ the medical files. That should have been planned as soon as after her ultra sounds. That was an example of neglect and carelessness. When you have a situation like, you’re supposed to have a specific group of TRUSTWORTHY employee’s to deal with that. Another thing, Suleman’s files shouldn’t have been that accessible especially if you know that media is involved.

My moral values in this ethic work situation is simple. As a future administrative office professional I will always stand by being a professional, having integrity, and continue to have a strong work ethic. These morals and values that I’ve listed, will constantly be tested down the line not just being an administrative professional but in life in general. Without these morals/values, I truly feel that I wouldn’t be myself.