Privacy and confidentiality

Caring for people puts you in a position where you’ll be entrusted with their private and confidential information. As a nursing assistant, you will have access to your client’s private information, such as health status, medical history, ongoing treatments, prognoses, communication with family and friends, and possibly their financial information. That’s why respecting your client’s privacy and confidentiality is an important aspect of your work.

Alright, in a healthcare setting, the client’s right to privacy and confidentiality is determined by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or OBRA.

Privacy is a client’s right to have control over their personal information and be free from being observed by others not involved in their care, while confidentiality refers to a client’s right to have their information kept secret.

Failing to respect your client’s right to privacy and confidentiality constitutes an act of invasion of privacy and has legal implications.

During your job as a nursing assistant, you should follow your facility’s policy when it comes to protecting your client’s privacy and confidentiality.

Inform your clients about their rights and respect these rights as you carry out your tasks. Some situations where a client's right to privacy must be respected include while bathing or dressing clients, during a medical procedure and when a client is using the bathroom.

Before entering a client’s room, be sure to knock and then introduce yourself to the client. Before performing any procedure that requires privacy, ask visitors to leave if they are present and show the visitors a place for them to wait until the procedure is complete.

Then, close the curtains and doors. Some procedures may require the client to be undressed so make sure you drape body parts that are not necessary to be exposed during the procedure.

Other components of a client's right to privacy include having the right to make phone calls in private and having a private conversation with guests. If required, show clients places where they can talk with their visitors privately, such as offices, chapels, or dining rooms.

Now, the protection of a client’s right to privacy and confidentiality is under a federal regulation called Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA for short.