Advance directives Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advance directives - Research Paper Example In essence, nurses are considered the primary care givers. Therefore, there are actively involved in the treatment process of patients. It is important to elucidate the fact that the ever changing dynamics of the healthcare profession as well as the expanding roles of nurses in the delivery of care are some of the factors that contribute to the many challenges of maintaining confidentiality. In definition, confidentiality in healthcare denotes the fact that all information given to any medical practitioner by the patient regarding his or her health ought to be treated with utmost discretion (Dolan and Barrister, 2004). Despite the fact that nurses are allowed to only diverge a patients medical information to third parties only with the consent of the patient, there are cases where the law demands release of such information without the his or her consent. Take for instance a patient refusing to take medicine and his or her medical condition poses a risk to the health of other individ uals. In such a case, a medical fractioned is justified to release the patients medical information to the police and other relevant authorities. Information can also be released to third parties if medical practitioners are required or ordered by a court of law to do so (Dolan and Barrister, 2004). Nurses and other care providers such as physicians are obligated by their professional codes of ethics to maintain confidentiality in regard to any information pertaining to their patients. In order to effectively comprehend legal approaches to confidentiality, it is of significance to posit that the kind of care provided to a patient is dependent on the relationship he or she has with the medical practitioner. Patients divulge all their private information to their healthcare providers with an assumption that the information will not fall into the wrong hands. In a legal perspective, it is the responsibility of medical professionals to