Confidentiality - ETHICS IN MEDICINE

Confidentiality is one of the core tenets of medical practice. Yet daily physicians face challenges to this long-standing obligation to keep all information between physician and patient private.

• Where does the duty of confidentiality come from?
• What does the duty of confidentiality require?
• What kinds of disclosure are inappropriate?
• When can confidentiality be breached?
• What if a family member asks how the patient is doing?

from: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/confiden.html