Sections
Confidentiality, Privilege, and Duty | Informed Consent and Competence | Civil Commitment | Professional Liability | Responding to a Subpoena
Excerpt
Confidentiality and privilege are two distinct ethical and
legal duties protected by state statutes to promote communication
and trust between the physician and patient. Privilege refers
to the patient's right to prevent disclosure of information
obtained during treatment in judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings.
The term confidentiality is broader
and refers to the clinician's obligation to avoid disclosure
of the patient's information to any person other than the
patient.