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March 2008 | Modern Hygienist Patient privacy Don’t let your gift of gab lead to a security breach. During World War II, troops consisted of drafted soldiers as well as volunteer members of the armed forces. However they came to be in active duty, the truth is that these folks were citizens turned soldiers and had no knowledge of how to conduct themselves so that valuable information would not be passed on to the enemy. To help prevent this information transfer from happening, the government began a campaign to make sure enlistees followed certain rules of conduct; all soldiers were given a written document that contained the rules. The following is a quote from the document Silence Means Security: “If violation of protective measures is serious within written communications it is disastrous in conversations. Protect your conversation as you do your letters, and be even more careful. A harmful letter can be nullified by censorship; loose talk is direct delivery to the enemy. If you come home during war your lips must remain sealed and your written hand must be guided by self-imposed censorship. This takes guts. Have you got them? Or do you want your buddies and your country to pay the price for your showing off?” The campaign was referred to as, “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” This campaign can easily be applied to dental offices in the 21st century. Just as silence meant security for our country, it means security for patients. Open design, open conversation Dental offices are bound to the principle of privacy, and this principle is best maintained when confidential issues are not openly discussed. If a patient is in a closed room, privacy is easily maintained. However, many offices have gone to an open design concept which fosters community and a free feeling—not one of isolation. While this operatory design can be more comfortable for patients, it can be detrimental to maintaining privacy. Team members need to be mindful of what they can and cannot discuss in the open environment. Discussion topics that should be guarded to ensure privacy include, but are not limited to:
The principle of privacy states that a healthcare professional must hold in strict confidence all information gained in the course of treatment; team members are never to discuss patients outside the office. And, while talk between staff members may not breach privacy, we all need to be mindful of others that may be overhearing conversations regarding private information. If others are within earshot they can repeat information heard, which would be an inadvertent breach of privacy. Any disclosure of private information could prove devastating to an individual. If the wrong person got a hold of the i obtained such information it could lead to the loss of the individual’s job, credit or insurance denial, or the inability to be self-employed. Staff faceStaff members face consequences as well; breaches of confidentiality can result in lawsuits against all involved. Medical professionals responsible for the dissemination of information could have their license revoked. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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