Biomaterial Database

Legal aspects of medical confidentiality in the occupational setting. 1976

G J Annas

The law of confidentiality of medical information in the occupational setting is undeveloped and subject to change. Nevertheless, when a physician-patient relationship is established, all of the traditional trappings, including the duty to maintain confidences, go along with it. In other settings, such as preemployment physicals, examinees implicitly consent for their "fitness' for the job to be disclosed, but do not assume that specific findings will be disclosed without their informed and written consent. To promote physician automony and worker confidence in the occupational physician, an explicit policy of confidentiality should be developed and agreed to by both management and workers. This policy should spell out the conditions under which specific information will be made available to the employer and should guarantee the confidentiality of all other medical information. Workers should also be given routine access to their medical files, and offered the chance to refute and have amended information in them that they can demonstrate is inaccurate. In short, workers in the occupational setting should, in general, be treated like private patients. Such a policy will satisfy both the law and the ethical standards of physicians, and will promote worker trust in the occupational physician.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007603	Jurisprudence	The science or philosophy of law. Also, the application of the principles of law and justice to health and medicine.	Litigation,Medical Jurisprudence,Constitutional Law,Court Decision,Law,Legal Aspects,Legal Obligations,Legal Status,State Interest,Aspect, Legal,Aspects, Legal,Constitutional Laws,Court Decisions,Decision, Court,Decisions, Court,Interest, State,Interests, State,Jurisprudence, Medical,Law, Constitutional,Laws,Laws, Constitutional,Legal Aspect,Legal Obligation,Litigations,Obligation, Legal,Obligations, Legal,State Interests,Status, Legal
D008318	Malpractice	Failure of a professional person, a physician or lawyer, to render proper services through reprehensible ignorance or negligence or through criminal intent, especially when injury or loss follows. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Professional Negligence,Negligence,Negligence, Professional,Professional Negligences
D008499	Medical Records	Recording of pertinent information concerning patient's illness or illnesses.	Health Diaries,Medical Transcription,Records, Medical,Transcription, Medical,Diaries, Health,Diary, Health,Health Diary,Medical Record,Medical Transcriptions,Record, Medical,Transcriptions, Medical
D009787	Occupational Medicine	Medical specialty concerned with the promotion and maintenance of the physical and mental health of employees in occupational settings.	Industrial Medicine,Medicine, Industrial,Medicine, Occupational
D010808	Physical Examination	Systematic and thorough inspection of the patient for physical signs of disease or abnormality.	Physical Exam,Examination, Physical,Physical Examinations and Diagnoses,Exam, Physical,Examinations, Physical,Exams, Physical,Physical Examinations,Physical Exams
D010817	Physician-Patient Relations	The interactions between physician and patient.	Doctor-Patient Relations,Doctor Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relationship,Doctor Patient Relation,Doctor-Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relationships,Physician-Patient Relation,Relation, Doctor Patient,Relation, Doctor-Patient,Relation, Physician Patient,Relation, Physician-Patient,Relations, Doctor Patient,Relations, Doctor-Patient,Relations, Physician Patient,Relations, Physician-Patient,Relationship, Physician Patient,Relationships, Physician Patient
D003219	Confidentiality	The privacy of information and its protection against unauthorized disclosure.	Patient Data Privacy,Privacy of Patient Data,Privileged Communication,Confidential Information,Secrecy,Communication, Privileged,Communications, Privileged,Data Privacy, Patient,Information, Confidential,Privacy, Patient Data,Privileged Communications
D004992	Ethics, Medical	The principles of professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the physician, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the physician in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families.	Medical Ethics
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.