Patient privacy and conflicting legal and ethical obligations in El Salvador: reporting of unlawful abortions.
Postabortion care providers who breach patient confidentiality endanger women's health and violate ethics. A 1998 abortion ban in El Salvador likely spurred an increase in the number of women investigated, because many women were reported to legal authorities by health care providers. Having analyzed safeguards of confidentiality in laws and ethical guidelines, we obtained information from legal records on women prosecuted from 1998 to 2003 and identified factors that may lead to reporting through a survey of obstetrician-gynecologists (n=110). Although ethical and human rights standards oblige providers to respect patients' privacy, 80% of obstetrician-gynecologists mistakenly believed reporting was required. Most respondents (86%) knew that women delay seeking care because of fear of prosecution, yet a majority (56%) participated in notification of legal authorities.
Central America, Managua, Nicaragua.
Heathe Luz
HL
McNaughton
Ellen M H
EM
Mitchell
Emilia G
EG
Hernandez
Karen
K
Padilla
Marta Maria
MM
Blandon
D000024:Abortion, Illegal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000941:ethics*; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D003416:Criminal Law; D008192:Deception; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004544:El Salvador; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D019221:Mandatory Reporting / Q000941:ethics; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012941:Social Responsibility; D016387:Women's Health / Q000941:ethics; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000941:ethics