Spark [Robert_Klitzman]_When_Doctors_Become_Patients(Boo | Seite 298

Improving Education 287
Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality
These physicians often spoke more to their patients about threats to
medical privacy, and took extra measures to protect patients’ confiden-
tiality. A few physicians now went so far as to inform patients that
privacy no longer existed: that despite policies to protect privacy, leaks
could occur. (‘‘It’s illegal, but the reality is that at work, the employment
person might sit across from the benefits person, and the information
might get passed.’’)
Doctors also took extra measures to protect patients’ privacy. These
threats were particularly high for celebrity and VIP patients. In such
cases, Harry said, ‘‘You have to give the chart to the secretary and say,
‘Nobody is to look at this but me.’ ’’
To protect confidentiality, at times doctors even engaged in or en-
couraged deceit. For example, increasingly, schools and camps ask for
medical information that may not be necessary. Given these growing
invasions, to protect confidentiality, Jessica felt that professionalism ne-
cessitated a degree of duplicity. She said:
A mother was agitated because her daughter was recently diag-
nosed with epilepsy—petit mal seizures, not the kind where
someone falls on the floor and shakes. The girl just stares into
space. The teacher wants to tell the class, so they won’t be scared if
the girl falls and shakes. I got angry. Schools and a lot of people are
very inappropriately interested in other people’s health problems.
There’s no confidentiality. Schools are always asking for informa-
tion they don’t need and that has no impact on the kid. Why does
the school need to know if there is a family history of high blood
pressure? Even things that are against the law: they’ll ask about
drug use, violence, or sexuality. A lot of times, I tell parents,
‘‘Don’t tell the school,’’ or I leave it off forms.
Talking About Taboos
These physicians saw the need to educate medical students and physi-
cians more about taboo areas. Yet improving communication between
physicians and their patients about such stigmatized topics posed chal-
lenges. Nonetheless, several ill doctors now developed methods for talking
about these areas better. Specific techniques can assist in desensitizing