MEDICAL CONFIDENTIALITY

Medical Confidentiality

Medical Confidentiality

The most straightforward situation when a doctor can breach confidentiality is when he is required to do so by law. This means that the breach of confidentiality is lawful, and the doctor need not fear legal proceedings, but it does not necessarily mean the breach is ethical. A doctor may be compelled by law to breach confidentiality by a court order, when giving evidence in court or by a statutory requirement such as notification of certain serious communicable diseases. With regard to disclosures required by law the GMC says (GMC, 2004) 'You must disclose information to satisfy ...