Ethical dilemma case study question...?
If your patient presented with an STD and then you saw her outside the office in a relationship with a loved one in your family, what is the ethically correct thing to do? Protect patient confidentiality or tell to protect the wellbeing of the other person?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
This is why ethics is a very hard class and a very hard subject in the field. The ethical thing to do is not always the legal thing to do. No one can answer this question for you. But, I would say that I would protect patient confidentiality. You do not know what these two people in this relationship have talked about. You do not know if she has confided this information to him, and you do not know if they are taking the precautionary steps to avoid transmission. This is a touchy subject, but that would be my personal opinion on what would be the right thing to do. Now, whether you would actually stick to that "right thing" once your emotions took over, since it is your family, is another dilemma in itself.
Good Luck
HEY, IF IT'S MY FAMILY I'D SAY TELL YOUR FAMILY MEMBER AND NoBODY ELSE, SCREW PRIVILEGE