Dilemma 6

Confidentiality: Ethical Disclosure of Medical

InformationMedicine in the Service of

the FBI By: Shamieka Lewis

Courtney Jones

Loukisha Johnson

Dilemma 6In the “New and Notes” section of a leading medical

journal the following notice appeared. It is an exact reproduction of an FBI poster:

WANTED BY THE FBIA Federal Grand Jury in Tucson Arizona indicted Shelby for

conspiring with another individual in an act which involved the interstate transportation and unregistered possession of 120 sticks of dynamite, 30 electric blasting caps, 20 fuse caps, and50 feet of fuse. Shelby, using the name William Allen

Friedman, allegedly drove from Venice, California to Tucson, Arizona, purchased the explosives and fuse, and returned to

Venice, California.

CAUTION: SHELBY HAS BEEN KNOWN TO ASSOCIATE WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO

ADVOCATE THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES AND SHE HERSELF HAS ACQUIRED EXPLOSIVES. SHE

REPORTEDLY MAY HAVE ACQUIRED FIRE-ARMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS.

Shelby is known to be afflicted with a skin condition known as acne vulgaris, which has been described as acute and recurrent. The recurrent aspect of this

skin condition could necessitate treatment by a health care practitioner,

especially a dermatologist. Shelby is also known to frequently wear

prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, which are required for her to

operate an automobile.NOTIFY THE FBI

Any person having information which may assist in locating this fugitive is requested to immediately notify the

nearest FBI field office, the telephone number of which appears on the first

page of most local telephone directories.

Stakeholders:

Shelby AKA “William Allen Friedman”

Physician

FBI

Citizens of USA

Important Terms:

Autonomy- the right of patients to make decisions about their medical care without their healthcare provider

trying to influence their decision.

Confidentiality- the principle in medical ethics that the information a patient reveals to a health care provider is private and has limits on how and when it can be disclosed to a third party.

Beneficence-a principle of medical ethics according to which a person should do good to others especially when one has a

professional duty to do so.

Non-maleficence- the ethical principle of doing no harm.

If Physician Cooperates With FBI

Shelby AKA “William” will be apprehended.

Any criminals affiliated with “William” may be apprehended also.

Citizens of America will be safer.Physician can sleep at night knowing

he made the right choice.

If The Physician Chooses To Respect Patients Privacy

Citizens of America can be harmed by firearms or explosives.

“William” and his affiliates can form gangs around the country and us all.

Conclusion

If the physician cooperates with the police it would be a breach of confidentiality. However, in this case it would be justified because the harm in maintaining confidentiality is greater that the harm of the physician cooperating with the FBI. There are certain regulations that limit the patients right to privacy. For example, if there is concern for public safety of other persons or concern for public welfare. I don’t think reporting the person to the FBI is related to medical treatment because the physician doesn’t have to disclose the medical record. I also think when someone is involved in illegal activities they forfeit their right of confidentiality.

Resources

http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/confiden.html

http://medical-dictionary.the freedictionary.com