Title: Confidentiality
Course: Health Management, Ethics and Research - Ethiopia (Full)

Confidentiality

Figure 9.6 Healthworkers need to ensure confidentiality as they move from house to house in their locality. (Photo: I-Tech/Julia Sherburne)

Many people think details about their own health are really personal matters and they certainly do not want other people to have access to these intimate details about themselves. Confidentiality is the control of disclosure of this personal health information and limiting access of these personal matters to others. It is one of the ethical principles that any healthcare provider must follow. If healthworkers do not follow this principle, clients may decide not to seek their help for fear of their private details becoming widely known.

As Health Extension Practitioners, you will be dealing with individual, family and community health problems, and you may come across health issues that need to be kept confidential (Figure 9.6). You certainly do have the moral obligation to respect the principle of confidentiality for people under your care. You should always keep health problems confidential unless you get informed consent from your client to tell others.

Imagine you are working at a Health Post and one of the young women comes in to tell you that she thinks that she may be pregnant. Later in the day her mother asks you whether you think her daughter is pregnant or not. How should you respond?

Show answer

It would certainly be a serious breach of confidence if you gave your opinion to the mother of your patient. You must not give any clues about the consultation that took place earlier in the day, even if you are sure that the mother is really well meaning. You can tell her kindly that this information is confidential between you and your client. Hopefully this will also teach the mother about the meaning of confidentiality and she may not put you in this difficult position again.