Features of patients’ views of medical confidentiality
| Definitions of medical confidentiality |
| Information stays between two people |
| Information restricted to medical care or insurance |
| Negative definition |
| What information is confidential |
| Specific topics such as mental illness or sexually transmitted diseases |
| Everything in the medical record |
| Handling confidential information |
| Remembered by doctor, not recorded |
| Recorded but not where others might easily read it |
| Entered in medical record |
| Release to third party of confidential information to third party |
| Would not be released |
| Could be released under exceptional circumstances |
| Routinely released for medical care or reimbursement |
| Concern when deliberating confidential information disclosure |
| Disclosed selectively. Concerned with emotional consequence of self-revelation |
| Disclose all needed for treatment. Some concern with institutional consequences, such as insurance eligibility |