During your training, you run into a multitude of fascinating case studies. Inevitably, there may be a great temptation to talk about it with classmates and colleagues. Information about the health of identifiable patients is confidential. Therefore, you should be very careful not to disclose this information to your friends or colleagues, unless, in the latter case, they are directly involved in the care of the patient. In order for you to develop clinical capabilities during your courses, you need to have access to confidential patient information at some point. It is important to recognize that the duty of confidentiality applies to medical students. There are several interests here. There is a strong public interest in a confidential medical service; there is also a public interest in the fight against crime. We all have a personal interest in keeping our private health information confidential.
These interests must be weighed on the basis of an assessment of the facts. All identifiable patient information, whether written, computerized, visual or audio or simply stored in the memory of healthcare professionals, is covered by professional secrecy. This implies that professional secrecy extends to you as a medical student. Here, we examine the moral and legal issues related to the exchange of confidential medical information. As with all other requests for information, it is assumed that confidential information will only be disclosed to the police if the patient has expressly consented. In this regard, it would be preferable for a court to require disclosure, for the public interest in preventing or prosecuting a serious crime to outweigh the individual`s right to confidentiality, or if a person is at risk of causing fatal or serious harm. The obligation of confidentiality is not absolute and confidential information can be disclosed: confidentiality is essential to the development of trust between doctors and patients. Patients should be able to expect that their health information will be treated confidentially, unless there is a compelling reason not to do so. There is also a strong public interest in confidentiality, as people in need of treatment are encouraged to seek treatment and disclose information that is relevant to them. “An obligation of trust is established when confidential information comes to the knowledge of a person… if he has noticed or is considered to be agreed that the information is confidential… Physicians who disclose confidential information in informal conversations in public places such as elevators and cars have been strongly criticized by their supervisory authority, the General Medical Council, for violating confidential health information.
Confidential information may be disclosed without authorization if the public interest in disclosure is sufficiently large. This may be information that is essential to prevent a serious and imminent threat to public health, national security, the life of the person or a third party, or to prevent or detect a serious crime.