Confidentiality breaches in hospital: the experiences of young people and parents

TY - JOUR

T1 - Confidentiality breaches in hospital:

T2 - the experiences of young people and parents

AU - Jensen, Claus Sixtus

AU - Eg, Marianne

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

PY - 2022/9

Y1 - 2022/9

N2 - BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals, including nurses, have a vital role in protecting patient confidentiality. However, evidence shows that breaches of confidentiality are common in hospitals for various reasons, including the ward design and issues related to healthcare staff's professionalism. The situation can be complicated further in paediatric care because of the age range of patients and their associated needs and rights about information sharing, confidentiality and consent.AIM: To explore the views and experiences of young people admitted to hospital, and their parents and related caregivers, about the effects of confidentiality breaches.METHOD: A descriptive questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2018 in two regional hospitals in Denmark over two weeks. A total of 214 surveys were completed by parents and related caregivers (n=173) and by young people (n=41).FINDINGS: Many parents and young people reported that they had overheard healthcare professionals discussing care, including information about named patients, test results, personal disclosures and various comments or opinions. In many cases these breaches of confidentiality affected patients' overall experience of hospital and led some to withhold important information.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the challenges of preserving confidentiality in children's wards. Situations in which confidentiality breaches were reported appear to have been affected by the physical environment, such as ward design, as well as staff behaviour and attitudes. Therefore, nurses and other healthcare professionals need to enhance their understanding of issues related to confidentiality and pay attention to how and where information about patients is shared.

AB - BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals, including nurses, have a vital role in protecting patient confidentiality. However, evidence shows that breaches of confidentiality are common in hospitals for various reasons, including the ward design and issues related to healthcare staff's professionalism. The situation can be complicated further in paediatric care because of the age range of patients and their associated needs and rights about information sharing, confidentiality and consent.AIM: To explore the views and experiences of young people admitted to hospital, and their parents and related caregivers, about the effects of confidentiality breaches.METHOD: A descriptive questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2018 in two regional hospitals in Denmark over two weeks. A total of 214 surveys were completed by parents and related caregivers (n=173) and by young people (n=41).FINDINGS: Many parents and young people reported that they had overheard healthcare professionals discussing care, including information about named patients, test results, personal disclosures and various comments or opinions. In many cases these breaches of confidentiality affected patients' overall experience of hospital and led some to withhold important information.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the challenges of preserving confidentiality in children's wards. Situations in which confidentiality breaches were reported appear to have been affected by the physical environment, such as ward design, as well as staff behaviour and attitudes. Therefore, nurses and other healthcare professionals need to enhance their understanding of issues related to confidentiality and pay attention to how and where information about patients is shared.

KW - adolescents

KW - child health

KW - confidentiality

KW - consent

KW - data protection

KW - ethical issues

KW - parents

KW - professional

KW - professional issues

U2 - 10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1389

DO - 10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1389

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35253412

SN - 2046-2336

VL - 34

SP - 22

EP - 27

JO - Nursing Children & Young People

JF - Nursing Children & Young People

IS - 5

ER -