Introduction
In the healthcare, empathy and confidentiality plays a pivotal role. These are major principles which mainly underpin the health care services with the high quality. Confidentiality ensures about the patients can feel safe at the time of offering sensitive information, while empathy boosts the relationships of the patient and practitioner. The essay will shed light on the importance of the confidentiality and empathy within the healthcare setting.
Main Body
Explaining the importance of empathy in the client/healthcare practitioner relationship
Empathy is major part in the healthcare as these permits the practitioners to effectively understand the perspectives, concerns and emotions of the patients. This boosts the overall care quality within the health care. The person-centred approach focuses on the empathy, with the effective and positive congruence and regard (The person-centered approach, 2024). This plays an importance role within developing trust therapeutic relationships. They mainly make the supportive environment in which the patients can feel respected, valued and heard. The trust significantly supports to the patients to effectively discuss concerns and symptoms. The empathetic communication decreases the distress and patient anxiety (Hemberg and Hemberg, 2020). The patients who are mainly see the empathetic developed heath outcomes and higher satisfaction levels experience due to healthcare providers. The empathy also boosts the treatment plans compliance, as the patients mainly are likely to focus on the medical advice.
Assessing two reasons why the health care practitioner may fail to listen empathetically
Apart from the empathy’s significance, there are major examples in which the healthcare practitioners face challenges to empathetically listen. The key reason is workload pressure and time constraints. Within the health care environments, the healthcare practitioners maintain the different administrative duties and patients; this is leading to fatigue and stress. Within these kinds of situations, they might prioritise the effectiveness rather than the deep engagement. This is particularly resulting within the fast or rushed consultations in which the patients some time feel unheard. Cognitive load theory refers that the demands of excessive cognitive might decrease the capability of practitioner to respond and process respond empathetically (Cognitive load theory, 2024). This is affecting the overall patient communication. Another reason is compassion fatigue and emotional burnout. This is mainly repeated experience to the patients; the overall suffering might increase the emotional exhaustion (Beltran-Aroca et al, 2021). This is creating it more challenging for the healthcare practitioner to manage the approach based on empathetic. The compassion fatigue model of Figley focuses on that the overall steady care giving without the appropriate emotional regulations and self care might affect the emotional reserves of practitioner.
Explaining the importance of maintaining confidentiality
The confidentiality is key part within the ethical medical practice, this is making sure that the information of patient is secured from the disclosure or unauthorised access. The general data protection regulation and the health insurance portability and accountability Act showcases the health care provider’s legal obligation to manage the patient privacy and data security (HIPAA and GDPR, 2024). The confidentiality boosts the trust among the practitioners and patients (Kwee et al, 2021). This is developing the open communication related to the sensitive personal matters, mental health issues and medical conditions without having fear of exposure and judgment.
Furthermore, confidentiality is important for the practical in ethical medical, as this emphasised within biomedical ethics of four principles by the Beauchamp and Childress. The patients have appropriate right to take informed decisions and control the overall personal information related to the healthcare.
Summarising the consequences of breach in confidentiality
Confidentiality’s breach might have different personal, ethical and legal consequences for the healthcare providers and patients as well. Through the legal standpoint, patient information’s unauthorised disclosure may result within the lawsuits, fines, disciplinary action like as GDPR (2018) and HIPAA (1996). The healthcare organisations can face the public trust loss and reputational damage, affecting the confidence of patient within the different medical institutions (Ladis and Zolkefli, 2021).
In the personal level, the breaches of confidentiality might cause the discrimination, stigma and psychological distress for the patients. For instance, if the health’s sensitive information like as mental health conditions and HIV diagnosis is revealed without any approval. The patient might face the strained personal relationships, workplace discrimination and social stigma. The needs of Maslow’s hierarchy suggest that the security based on the psychological plays a major role for the wellbeing (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, 2024). The confidentiality breach might lead to the health care services avoidance; threaten the security and emotional distress.
Explaining when it may be appropriate to break confidentiality
The confidentiality is key ethical principle, within the different certain conditions in which this can be ethically and legally justified to break down the confidentiality. The major example is at the time of risk of harm to the others and patient. For instance, within the Act of mental health, the practitioners are needed to breach the privacy if any patient provides danger to society or themselves (Wild et al, 2022). This includes violence threats or suicidal ideation cases. Another situation is related to when the concerns of public health require the disclosure. At the time of outbreaks of infection diseases like as tuberculosis, COVID-19, the authorities of the public health might needs the data of patient to apply the control measures and track spread of disease. In accordance with the public health Act 1984, the professionals of health care carry duty to account the communicable diseases (Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, 2024). This can reduce the risks for the wider community. On the other hand, within the cases, information needs to be offered only with the important authorities. This is managing the balance among the individual privacy and public safety.
Explaining the importance of accurate and clear record-keeping
The clear record keeping and accurate is important within the health care as this assures about the patient safety, legal compliance and ongoing care. The NMC (Nursing and Midwifery council) code focuses on that the overall documentation need to be contemporaneous, precise and factual to avoid errors and support the decisions making. The key reason related to the record keeping accurately is to ensure about the effective communication among the teams of healthcare. Whenever the different practitioners are included within the clear documentation, care of patient permit for the unnecessary treatments, medication errors, preventing misdiagnosis and informed decision making. The communication theory focuses on that the issue related to miscommunication can increase the risks and inefficiencies within the overall healthcare setting. This is creating detailed documentation more important.
Moreover, the record keeping related to the meticulous plays a major role for the professional accountability and legal protection (Mirzaei Maghsud et al, 2020). The different medical records work as the major legal evidence within the malpractice claims cases. This is making sure that the practitioners effectively justify the decisions based on clinical. The inaccurate or incomplete documentation might increase compromised patient care, professional credibility loss and legal consequences. Therefore, managing the record keeping practices with the high quality is healthcare professional’s fundamental responsibility.
Conclusion
Conclusively, it states that the confidentiality and empathy are the major factors of the effective and ethical healthcare. The empathy boosts the patient outcomes and trust, the confidentiality secure the dignity and patient privacy. On the other hand, the challenges like as emotional burnout and workload pressure can need the proactive management and affect the empathetic listening. Confidentiality breaches might outcomes in server psychological, ethical and legal consequences. Moreover, the accurate and clear record keeping plays an important role for the legal compliance, communication and patient safety.
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References
Books and journals
Beltran-Aroca, C.M., Ruiz-Montero, R., Labella, F. and Girela-López, E., 2021. The role of undergraduate medical students training in respect for patient confidentiality. BMC medical education, 21(1), p.273.
Hemberg, J. and Hemberg, H., 2020. Ethical competence in a profession: Healthcare professionals' views. Nursing Open, 7(4), pp.1249-1259.
Kwee, R.M. and Kwee, T.C., 2021. Communication and empathy skills: essential requisites for patient-centered radiology care. European journal of radiology, 140, p.109754.
Ladis, H. and Zolkefli, Y., 2021. Healthcare Students' Views on Protecting Patients' Privacy and Confidentiality. International Journal of Nursing Education, 13(4).
Mirzaei Maghsud, A., Abazari, F., Miri, S. and Sadat Nematollahi, M., 2020. The effectiveness of empathy training on the empathy skills of nurses working in intensive care units. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(8), pp.722-731.
Wild, K., Young, F., de Araujo, G., Fernandes, A., Gomes, L., Kelly, L. and Taft, A., 2022. Healthcare responses to gender-based violence in Timor-Leste: women want empathy, information and safety from an integrated support system. Journal of interpersonal violence, 37(23-24), pp.NP22175-NP22198.
Online
Cognitive load theory, 2024. Online. Available through https://www.mcw.edu/-/media/MCW/Education/Academic-Affairs/OEI/Faculty-Quick-Guides/Cognitive-Load-Theory.pdf
HIPAA and GDPR, 2024. Online. Available through <https://www.emergobyul.com/resources/hipaa-gdpr-overview>
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, 2024. Online. Available through <https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4136760>
Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, 2024. Online. Available through <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/22>
The person-centred approach, 2024. Online. Available through https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Developing-your-workforce/Care-topics/Person-centred-approaches-in-health-and-care/Person-centred-approaches-in-health-and-care.aspx
