Towsley Chapter 5: Truthfulness and Confidentiality Review Questions

1. Define truthfulness

conformance with fact or reality

2. Expectations of truth vary with which three conditions?

a. place of communication

b. roles of the communicators

c. nature of the truth involved

4. Informed consent and the need to make treatment decisions are examples of conditions for the __________.

right to the truth

6. List the three types of obligatory secrets:

a. natural secrets

b. promised secrets

c. professional secrets

7. The most binding obligatory secret is the __________.

professional secret

8. Describe the most common exceptions to confidentiality.

mechanisms for reporting certain types of wounds, communicable diseases, auto accidents, birth defects, drug addiction, and industrial accidents

9. According to the AHA Committee on Biomedical Ethics, duties to disclose patient information exist in which situations?

when the life or safety of a patient is endangered, when intervention can prevent threatened suicide or self-injury, or when an innocent third party may be harmed as in an abuse situation

10. Which of the following are origins of the duty of confidentiality?

a. Right to privacy

b. Statutes

c. Ethical obligations

d. Breach of contract issues

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

26. HIPAA stands for:

Health Information Portability and Accountability Act

27. True or False State law overrides HIPAA regulations.

False

28. True or False Patients always have an absolute right to their records.

False

29. True or False VA hospitals are exempt from HIPAA regulations.

False

30. True or False Imaging professionals should feel free to show patients their films and answer questions about them.

False

31. True or False Under HIPAA, patients have the right to sue.

False

32. HIPAA's purposes include the following:

a. To give patients a right of access to their records

b. To create a national framework for privacy regulations

c. To attempt to restore trust in health care delivery of information

d. All of the above

d. All of the above

33. True or False Under HIPAA, when records are requested, all medical records of that patient are provided.

False

34. True or False Under HIPAA, all requests for information require patient authorization.

False

35. True or False Under HIPAA, patients have the right to see their psychotherapy notes.

False

36. True or False Health care plans may decide if they want to participate in the HIPAA regulations.

False