Professional secrecy and consent
The rules that protect the patient: professional secrecy and its penalties, secrecy shared within the care team, the exceptions set by law, information and free, informed consent, refusing care, minors and protected adults, and emergencies.
- 31 cards
- 3 topics
- Free
The outline, topic by topic
Each topic is weighted the way the exam weighs it.
- Concepts
- Scenarios
- Understand
A few cards from the deck
Professional secrecy: what is it?
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The duty to keep quiet about everything learnt, seen or understood in the course of care.
Breaching it is punishable by a year in prison and a 15,000 euro fine (article 226-13 of the Criminal Code).
A patient's brother calls to learn the diagnosis. What should be said?
- Nothing without the patient's agreement, pointing him to the patient or the doctor
- The full diagnosis
- Only the blood results
- Hang up without a word
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Nothing without the patient's agreement, pointing him to the patient or the doctor
The family is not part of the shared secret without the patient's agreement.
Shared secrecy: what is it?
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Information shared between professionals of the care team, limited to what the care needs.
The patient must be told and may object in some cases.
Why is professional secrecy so important?
- To protect the carer
- By tradition only
- It is not important
- Without it, the patient would not dare say everything, and care would suffer
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Without it, the patient would not dare say everything, and care would suffer
It is the basis of trust between patient and team.
Exceptions to secrecy: what is it?
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Situations where the law requires or allows secrecy to be lifted: notifiable diseases, abuse of a minor or vulnerable person, certificates.
Outside these cases, secrecy holds, even after the patient's death.
A colleague from another ward, not caring for the patient, asks about her hospitalised neighbour. What should be done?
- Give her the information, she is a colleague
- Refuse: she is not part of the care team
- Show her the record
- Tell her only the diagnosis
Show the answer
Refuse: she is not part of the care team
Being a carer does not give access to every patient's information.