CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

76
ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
patient’s records should be guarded as confidential, and results of a patient’s
medical treatment are to be shared only with the patient’s physician, who dispenses
results to the patient. A release statement is required if records are to be
sent to another facility or person.
Only the patient’s physician can discuss the treatment plan with the patient. A
medical worker should never discuss a patient’s diagnosis or treatment received by
the patient. Any health care worker who accesses a patient’s records without a valid
reason may be sanctioned or even brought to court. All patients deserve the same
treatment without regard to financial or social status. Patients’ personal records
cannot be marketed to other companies and only that patient information necessary
for processing an insurance claim may be disseminated.
Formalized statements are found in health care facilities and even in the
official positions of professional organizations who certify health care professionals.
Hospitals and medical clinics usually are required to hire only practitioners
deemed competent by their professional accreditation agencies. Most
hospitals and a number of large medical clinics will have a Patient’s Bill of Rights
prominently displayed in the facility. This document outlines general positions
the facility adopts as to what a patient can expect when presenting for medical
treatment. The Oath of Hippocrates and the Nurses Creed are formal statements
that the medical and nursing professionals are expected to adhere to as professionals.
Ethics and professionalism go hand in hand. Professionalism is expressed
outwardly as an appearance of cleanliness, orderly behavior and manner, and
assured self-confidence in one’s abilities. Sometimes professionals are expected
to participate in a formal adoption of the various oaths and creeds, by a public
ceremony. An example of this is the “pinning” or “capping” of nurses as they
graduate, marking the transition from student to professional. Patients generally
hold health care professionals in high esteem and expect selfless and competent
care when they present themselves for treatment. They should expect and accept
no less, and they should be made to feel comfortable and at ease, knowing their
privacy will be observed when they communicate with you. This instills confidence
in the health care worker as a professional (see Figure 3-1).
Review Questions
1. Name some formal statements that certify that a profession or institution
will provide the best care possible.
2. How do ethics and morality affect legal issues?
3. Should a health care employee provide medical information to the patient?
If not, why?
4. What is the basic tenet of the Oath of Hippocrates?
5. What are a person’s personal rights when hospitalized?
6. What two federal laws spell out the rights that a patient or a student has to
privacy?
7. Who has the right to see a patient’s medical records?
8. Who has the right to at least basic medical care, regardless of ability to pay?
9. What is the purpose of an ethics committee? Give some examples of those
who serve on them.
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