How Do I Know…
…When information is considered private?
- Did you learn it through your job?
If yes, then it is considered private
When you work in a health care organization you are exposed to confidential information all the time. What you do with the information is critical. How do you decide when information is considered private and when it is not?
If you see, hear, or read information through your job, it is considered confidential and you must keep it to yourself. Consider this scenario: In doing your job, you find out that a friend has come to your facility for treatment. You would like to go see him or her and offer moral support.
Can you?
No – you learned the information through your job and you should not use it for personal
reasons. What if the sister of your friend calls and tells you they are at your facility
for treatment? You have learned of the situation outside your job and you can go to
your friend and offer moral support.