Ethics and patient privacy.
OBJECTIVE
To provide a brief introduction to the ethical and, to some extent, the legal issues surrounding patient privacy and confidentiality.


RESULTS
The privacy of patient medical records and patient confidentiality has moved to the forefront of ethical and legal issues in health care. Technological advances, the growth and expansion of managed care, the emergence of consumerism, and the dramatic increase in the number of individuals and organizations with access to or a need to access patient medical information have all contributed to patient concerns about who has access to their records and for what purposes.


CONCLUSIONS
Questions of patient privacy and confidentiality are likely to remain at the forefront of health care ethics and law in the coming years. Health professionals, including pharmacists, have a greater responsibility than ever before to ensure that safeguards exist to prevent inappropriate access to patient information.
McCarthy
Robert L
RL
School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CO 06269-3092, USA. r.mccarthy@uconn.edu
D022126:Access to Information / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018907:Privacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D024382:Professional Role