Sharing a patient's medical details with a coworker without consent constitutes which issue?

Sharing a patient's medical details with a coworker without consent constitutes which issue?

• A. Invasion of privacy
• B. Confidentiality breach
• C. Defamation
• D. Negligence

Answer: (B)

The key idea is protecting patient information as confidential. In healthcare, what you learn about a patient is private, and you’re expected to share it only with people who need to know to provide care and only to the extent necessary. Sharing medical details with a coworker without the patient’s consent breaches that duty to keep information confidential. This isn’t about harming someone's reputation or failing to provide care; those would point to defamation or negligence. Invasion of privacy is broader, but in clinical practice the precise issue here is a confidentiality breach—disclosing protected information without proper authorization.

The key idea is protecting patient information as confidential. In healthcare, what you learn about a patient is private, and you’re expected to share it only with people who need to know to provide care and only to the extent necessary. Sharing medical details with a coworker without the patient’s consent breaches that duty to keep information confidential. This isn’t about harming someone's reputation or failing to provide care; those would point to defamation or negligence. Invasion of privacy is broader, but in clinical practice the precise issue here is a confidentiality breach—disclosing protected information without proper authorization.