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Medicine vocabulary · Patient Communication

Confidentiality

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˌkɑːnfɪˌdenʃiˈæləti/nounCommon term

In medicine, confidentiality means: The duty of doctors and other staff to keep information about patients private and to share it only when this is allowed or necessary.

In Turkish: gizlilik, hasta mahremiyeti, sır saklama yükümlülüğü

How it is used

A core principle of medical ethics and law, with a few legal exceptions. Doctors maintain or breach confidentiality, and need to take care when discussing patients in lifts, corridors or on social media.

Example sentences

  1. I can't discuss his results with you without his permission; it's a matter of confidentiality.

  2. Posting photos from the ward is a clear breach of confidentiality.

Common collocations

  • patient confidentiality
  • breach of confidentiality
  • maintain confidentiality
  • duty of confidentiality
  • informed consentA patient's agreement to a treatment or procedure, given after the doctor has explained what it involves, its benefits, its risks and the alternatives.
  • next of kinThe person a patient names as their closest relative or contact, whom the hospital will call in an emergency.
  • break bad newsTo tell a patient or family difficult information, such as a serious diagnosis or a death, in a careful, honest and kind way.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Patient Communication

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.