Confidentiality is a Must for Nursing Assistants

Nursing Assistants are often faced with a wide variety of activities taking place in the medical field. It is important that they be aware of maintaining confidentiality in all aspects of their job.

Nursing Assistants are very well versed in the policies and procedures of the facility. While it is imperative that they follow them, it is not recommended to discuss them outside of the facility. For example, you wouldn't want to disclose confidential information regarding evacuation and other emergency procedures to other people. Such a disclosure could jeopardize the safety of the patients and staff during a natural disaster or violent attack.

Patients requiring care in a medical facility deserve to have their privacy protected. This means you do not share the nature of their care or other personal information with any other person except staff they have an interest in the care of that patient. Confidentiality can become a problem when you are close with someone in the facility or someone asks you why someone else is there.

All patients deserve to have the right to their privacy maintained. Compromising this right is a direct violation of every medical practice. Sharing personal information can result in termination of your job, and in some cases, the loss of your Nursing Assistant Certification.

Infectious diseases can occur in medical facilities. It is important that you abide by the rules and procedures set in place by the particular facility your work with. However, do not share any information about such diseases to anyone. This could possibly cause panic over the idea of an epidemic, and lead to patients wanting to leave the facility against medical advice.

It is up to the proper medical staff to release information on communicable diseases to the proper agencies. This often involves the area health department. They can then help the medical facility incorporate an action plan to help remedy the problem. It may be decided to share the information with the area newspapers in an effort to allow them to protect themselves and to seek medical attention if they show the symptoms of a communicable disease that requires treatment.

Confidentiality also includes information shared by other medical staff. Nursing Assistants should never disclose any information they overhear among other staff in regards to a patient. Likewise, they should not share any details that they hear about the private interactions of staff. Commonly known as gossip, this violation of confidentiality can negatively affect working relationships. This can cause a nerve-racking work environment and patients not receiving the best care because lines of communication are not open.

In an effort to protect yourself, it is important that you completely understand the basics of confidentiality and why it is so important in the Nursing Assistant profession. Be fully aware of the specific policies and procedures in place for the facility you work for prior to accepting the job. Also, it is the required of the Nursing Assistant to report any violations of the confidentiality policies and procedures to the proper person. Not doing so makes you as much a part of the violation as those who originally committed the violation.

Though it is human nature to talk and discuss things in common, the best policy is to make sure the information you are sharing in regards to your work is being shared with those who truly need to know. For some patients, it can be humiliating enough to be in a medical facility without worrying about who is going to find out about what took place while they were in care.