Ethics Case 5
Matt S. is the nurse manager of the Coronary Care Unit. He is logged on to his computer workstation to review and update patient records when one of his patients experiences a cardiac arrhythmia. At the sound of the alarm, Matt leaves his workstation and proceeds to the patient’s room to initiate treatment. Joe is in the hallway cleaning and replacing ceiling lights. When Joe sees the vacant workstation, he sits at the terminal and searches for information about his neighbor, a patient on another unit. Joe’s neighbor has been quite mysterious about his medical condition, and Joe is very curious about what is wrong with his neighbor. Joe learns the truth about his neighbor’s health condition and shares this information with another neighbor.
Jill P. is a School Nurse in a suburban school district. Because of a crisis during her regular work hours, she is unprepared for a scoliosis screening and education program the following day. She decides to go into her office after hours to catch up. Her daughter Susan is working on a homework assignment. She asks Jill if she can use the computer in the office because it has more sophisticated programs and a better printer than their home computer. Jill agrees to let her daughter use the computer. While Jill is setting up for the screening, Susan accesses the student database and learns that four of her classmates were recently treated for sexually transmitted diseases. Susan shares this information in the lunchroom the following day. The news spreads rapidly through the school, and one of the affected students learns that her “problem” is now common knowledge. She informs her parents, who go to the school superintendent, demanding to know how this could have happened.
Consider the following:
- How are the two cases alike? How are they different?
- What ethical principles apply to each case?
- To what extent is the employing institution accountable for a breach of confidentiality?
- Should disciplinary action be taken? Why or why not?
