Definition
Confidentiality refers to a general standard of professional conduct, as well as, in some cases, the legal requirement for providers and/or researchers to maintain the privacy of a patient’s personal health information and records unless consent to release the information is obtained from the patient. In the case of minors, this consent may be obtained from the patient’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s), and rules around confidentiality related to minors may vary by state.
Historical Background
Confidentiality is important in order to establish trust between providers and patients and to protect patient privacy. Confidentiality can be bound by both ethical and legal standards. For example, the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct provides ethical guidelines regarding a psychologist’s obligation to take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information related to the patient (Standard 4; APA 1992). In 1996, The...
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References and Readings
American Psychological Association. (1992). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 47, 1597–1611.
Gustafson, K. E., & McNamara, J. R. (1987). Confidentiality with minor clients: Issues and guidelines for therapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18(5), 503–508.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Pub. L. No. 104–191, 110 Stat. 1936 (1996).
Koocher, G. P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. C. (1990). Children, ethics, and the law: Professional issues and cases. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 118 Cal. Rptr.129, 529 P.2d.533 (Cal. 1974).
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 113 Cal. Rptr. 14, 551 P.2d.334 (Cal. 1976).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Retrieved 1 Dec 2016 from http://www.hhs.gov/hipaa
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Tam, C., McPartland, J.C. (2017). Confidentiality. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102130-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102130-1
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