Should Confidentiality Ever Be Broken to Save a Life?

The issue of confidentiality is one that is being spoke about by all around the world. In various jurisdictions, confidentiality is a key mandate of the one providing services to the one receiving services. As much as we deny it, most people prefer to have their business behind closed doors than in the open public for all to see.

We all love our privacy, I particularly value it the most because having someone overstep their boundaries or being in your private space or business can make you a bit uncomfortable. Most especially, if I have to pay for a service, rest assured I need to know my privacy is hundred percent assured. Privacy isn’t only our private part as most people think- lol. Privacy consists of everything in our lives we deem personal. Be it your health status, your test results, your court cases and what have you. As far as I know, every client has the right to confidently unless in cases that demand other wise.

As a health professional, I see everyday how much privacy isn’t important to all patients. For example, we do not consult in the open because we need to patient to be comfortable and be able to express themselves without being bothered by people around. We don’t even ask patients some questions while their own relatives are present for the sake of confidentiality. Patients have the right to it and we as the healthcare providers owe it to them.

But then, there are situations where all these don’t count. I do watch a lot of law movies and woken I balance it with the expertise I have in other fields, I know that once I am sworn under an oath in a court or before a board, I must answer all questions being asked about my client whether confidential or not because lying or omit some details will be me committing perjury which is punishable by law.

There’s this argument in the medical field where ask each other a question which goes this way. If you consult for a patient who happens to have a chronic disease which is easily transmitted, say HIV and you later find out that this patient of yours is your brothers bride to be, will you tell your brother about his bride to be’s medical condition when you find out that he is in the dark about it or you will keep it to yourself due to confidentiality. At this juncture, not only your brother is at risk but everyone in your family who is in contact with this person can easily be infected with adequate contact be it through a cut or what have you.

It’s a tricky one but we all know what is at stake here. At the end of the day, our goal is to save lives. I can’t save a life and that same life will go back to destroy others. We need to put the lives of others first before any confidential information. If I knew my friend had a time bomb strapped on them and is set to kill a dozen people, I will call the authorities as soon as I find out because the outcome will definitely be no casualties but my friend will probably end up in jail and be alive. So it’s a win win for all parties.

Confidentiality is very important in our day to day activities and operations. But as much as it is important, we need to know that saving lives should and will always come first before any secret.

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