title: Understanding the Code: exceptions to the duty of patient confidentiality.
abstract: Last month's article considered the scope of a district nurse's duty to maintain the confidentiality of patient information under the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code, their contract of employment, and the law. This month, Richard Griffith considers the exceptions to these duties and sets out when a district nurse would be justified in disclosing patient information.
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer in Health Law, College of Health Science, Swansea University.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000941:ethics*; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000941:ethics*; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics*; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Code of conduct; Confidence; Confidentiality; Professional-patient relationship; Risk