Navigating Patient's Privacy in Health Care Setting During Digital Age: A High-Risk Possibility

Sumaira Ahtesham Ul Haq*, Sumera Zulfiqar**, Anila Farhan***
*-*** Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, Karachi, Pakistan .
Periodicity:May - July'2021
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jnur.11.2.17827

Abstract

The concept of privacy is not new, it is a longstanding phenomenon and used in various fields, but it is a highly imperative notion in medical and nursing discipline. Patient privacy is one of the key rights of the patient at hospital care setting. Patient privacy can be jeopardized while caring for the sick because sometimes the boundaries of privacy are not clear between health care personnel and patient, which might lead to feeling of insecurity among patients. In this case, the study of concept of patient privacy has been navigated which is a dire necessity to be intervened in today's digital era at any health care setup. Self-determination of a patient varies with diverse cultural backgrounds which should be considered by the medical professionals at hospital settings. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors and highlight possibilities to prevent breach of patient privacy at health care setup in the light of ethical principles and liberal individualism theory. In certain ethical dilemmas where patient is capable but unwilling to disclose information to his family, the health care team is accountable to recognize patient's preference. In contrast, by foreseeing harm to others, divulging privacy is sometimes obligatory. This paper reveals the case study that is encountered and the position taken, supported by the ethical principles, the arguments, counter arguments and the justification for examining and maintaining patient's privacy. Lastly, the final position has been stated and recommendations to implement the privacy in digital era have been highlighted in detail.

Keywords

Privacy, Autonomy, Ethical Principles, Liberal Individualism, Self-determination, and Digital Age.

How to Cite this Article?

Haq, S. A. U., Zulfiqar, S., and Farhan, A. (2021). Navigating Patient's Privacy in Health Care Setting During Digital Age: A High-Risk Possibility. i-manager's Journal on Nursing, 11(2), 37-41. https://doi.org/10.26634/jnur.11.2.17827

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