Final answer:
Patients can protect their privacy by understanding their rights, reading privacy policies, and safeguarding personal data. Providers should maintain confidentiality and ensure informed consent is obtained before sharing patient information. Additional ethical considerations apply when dealing with minors and research subjects.
Step-by-step explanation:
To protect privacy regarding patient information, a health care provider can advise the patient to become familiar with their privacy rights, which are protected under laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Moreover, patients should be encouraged to read privacy policies carefully when making purchases, particularly in health care settings, and to understand the conditions of any forms they accept. Additionally, patients can protect their own information by only providing the minimum necessary details, asking questions about how their information will be used and who will have access to it, and by monitoring their credit history to watch for signs of identity theft.
Health care providers themselves must also be vigilant in maintaining confidentiality, seeking informed consent from patients before sharing any information, and protecting patients from personal harm that might come from breaches of privacy. In special situations, such as when dealing with minors or research subjects, there may be additional ethical considerations to take into account. Providers should be aware of the potential legal ramifications for violating patient privacy, but also the ethical duty to protect others from harm, such as when dealing with communicable diseases.