As a group, health care professionals ought to be far more circumspect in observing confidentiality. Loose talk, gossip, disclosure of patient identity, or indiscriminate release of medical records are all examples of confidentiality breach. We too often discuss cases, sometimes identifying the patient by name or room and bed number, in public places within earshot of strangers. In a 1995 study that observed 259 one-way elevator trips in five U.S. hospitals, the authors overheard a total of 39 inappropriate comments that took place on 36 rides (13.9% of the trips) (Am. J. Med. 1995;99:190-4). Many of the comments clearly breached patient confidentiality.
Contact the author at siang@hawaii.edu.