Final answer:
A health coach must disclose a patient's health information when the patient requests it, in compliance with HIPAA. Researchers, healthcare providers, or public health officials require consent or legal obligations to access such information.
Step-by-step explanation:
A health coach must disclose a client or patient's protected health information in specific situations as mandated by law, particularly under regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Of the provided scenarios, the correct answer is when the client or patient requests their own health information.
Through HIPAA, individuals have the right to access their own health records. Hence, scenario B, where the client or patient asks for their information, is the instance where disclosure is obligatory. Situations involving researchers, healthcare providers, or local public health officials require additional legal considerations, such as a subpoena or the presence of a public health emergency, before disclosure can occur without patient consent.
Ethical considerations and legal requirements often come into conflict, especially in matters of public health, research, and patient confidentiality. In the instance of a health coach managing sensitive information, only when the patient consents or if the law explicitly requires, should protected health information be released, as in the case of a public health concern or through patient authorization.