Which of the following BEST describes the ethical issue that was committed?

A staff nurse was entering patient’s clinical notes in the computer, and had to leave to attend an immediate call without completion of recording. Another nurse used the account of the previous nurse to enter her notes.

Which of the following BEST describes the ethical issue that was committed?
A . Negligence
B . Malpractice
C . Breach of privacy
D . Breach of confidentiality

View Answer

Answer: D

Explanation:

The situation describes a breach of confidentiality, which occurs when private patient information is accessed or disclosed without proper authorization.

Negligence: This refers to the failure to provide the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would provide in a similar situation, but it doesn’t specifically address unauthorized access to patient information.

Malpractice: This is a type of negligence by a professional, which results in harm to the patient, and usually involves direct patient care rather than record-keeping issues.

Breach of Privacy: This involves the inappropriate disclosure of private information. In this case,

using someone else’s account does not directly disclose patient information to unauthorized parties.

Breach of Confidentiality: This specifically addresses the unauthorized access or use of patient information, which is exactly what happened when another nurse used the first nurse’s account to enter notes.

Reference: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Guidelines American Nurses Association (ANA): Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements