PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY: AT WHAT POINT ARE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CONSTRAINED FROM KEEPING THE CONFIDENTIALITY PROMISE

ABSTRACT

The confidentiality promise is technically complex, politically uncertain and scientifically ill-defined to address multiple patients’ needs. This is because patients’ confidentiality provides diverse perspectives which are yet to meet thorough academic examination. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to assess circumstances that may constrain healthcare workers from keeping the confidentiality promise. The study’s objectives were to assess the impact of knowledge level of healthcare providers concerning patient confidentiality, the current trends in keeping the confidentiality of patients and assessing circumstances healthcare workers may be constrained from keeping the confidentiality promise. The study sought to achieve its purpose by adopting quantitative approach with the cross-sectional explanatory design to gather data through a survey questionnaire using 141 respondents. The respondents included healthcare providers (nurses, medical officers, health specialists and surgeons) of Focos Orthopaedic Hospital Ghana. The data was analysed using correlation and simple linear regression via the application of SPSS. The results show that knowledge of public reporting, reporting child maltreatment and knowledge of patients’ threats to third parties significantly predicted patient confidentiality. However, knowledge of criminally inflicted injuries even though positive did not predict significantly predict patient confidentiality. The finding suggests that social media does support patient confidentiality negatively thus increase in social media activities lead to a decrease in patient confidentiality. In-service training, knowledge of patient de-identification and the use of electronic medical record system are current trends or practices are at FOCOS. The results imply that some circumstances may constrain healthcare providers from keeping the confidentiality promise, hence breaches. The study recommends that healthcare providers should be educated on the use of social media and breach of confidentiality.