Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Garbin,Cléa Adas Saliba
Publication Date: 2008
Other Authors: Garbin,Artênio José Isper, Saliba,Nemre Adas, Lima,Daniela Coelho de, Macedo,Ana Paula Ayala de
Format: Article
Language: eng
Source: Journal of applied oral science (Online)
Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-77572008000100015
Summary: From the point of view of deontological ethics, privacy is a moral right that patients are entitled to and it is bound to professional confidentiality. Otherwise, the information given by patients to health professionals would not be reliable and a trustable relationship could not be established. The aim of the present study was to assess, by means of questionnaires with open and closed questions, the awareness and attitudes of 100 dentists working in the city of Andradina, São Paulo State, Brazil, with respect to professional confidentiality in dental practice. Most dentists (91.43%) reported to have instructed their assistants on professional confidentiality. However, 44.29% of the interviewees showed to act contradictorily as reported talking about the clinical cases of their patients to their friends or spouses. The great majority of professionals (98.57%) believed that it is important to have classes on Ethics and Bioethics during graduation and, when asked about their knowledge of the penalties imposed for breach of professional confidentiality, only 48.57% of them declared to be aware of it. Only 28.57% of the interviewees affirmed to have exclusive access to the files; 67.14% reported that that files were also accessed by their secretary; 1.43% answered that their spouses also had access, and 2.86% did not answer. From the results of the present survey, it could be observed that, although dentists affirmed to be aware of professional confidentiality, their attitudes did not adhere to ethical and legal requirements. This stand of health professionals has contributed to violate professional ethics and the law itself, bringing problems both to the professional and to the patient.
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spelling Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practiceEthicsBioethicsDentistryBehaviorAttitudeFrom the point of view of deontological ethics, privacy is a moral right that patients are entitled to and it is bound to professional confidentiality. Otherwise, the information given by patients to health professionals would not be reliable and a trustable relationship could not be established. The aim of the present study was to assess, by means of questionnaires with open and closed questions, the awareness and attitudes of 100 dentists working in the city of Andradina, São Paulo State, Brazil, with respect to professional confidentiality in dental practice. Most dentists (91.43%) reported to have instructed their assistants on professional confidentiality. However, 44.29% of the interviewees showed to act contradictorily as reported talking about the clinical cases of their patients to their friends or spouses. The great majority of professionals (98.57%) believed that it is important to have classes on Ethics and Bioethics during graduation and, when asked about their knowledge of the penalties imposed for breach of professional confidentiality, only 48.57% of them declared to be aware of it. Only 28.57% of the interviewees affirmed to have exclusive access to the files; 67.14% reported that that files were also accessed by their secretary; 1.43% answered that their spouses also had access, and 2.86% did not answer. From the results of the present survey, it could be observed that, although dentists affirmed to be aware of professional confidentiality, their attitudes did not adhere to ethical and legal requirements. This stand of health professionals has contributed to violate professional ethics and the law itself, bringing problems both to the professional and to the patient.Faculdade De Odontologia De Bauru - USP2008-02-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontext/htmlhttp://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-77572008000100015Journal of Applied Oral Science v.16 n.1 2008reponame:Journal of applied oral science (Online)instname:Universidade de São Paulo (USP)instacron:USP10.1590/S1678-77572008000100015info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessGarbin,Cléa Adas SalibaGarbin,Artênio José IsperSaliba,Nemre AdasLima,Daniela Coelho deMacedo,Ana Paula Ayala deeng2008-01-31T00:00:00Zoai:scielo:S1678-77572008000100015Revistahttp://www.scielo.br/jaosPUBhttps://old.scielo.br/oai/scielo-oai.php||jaos@usp.br1678-77651678-7757opendoar:2008-01-31T00:00Journal of applied oral science (Online) - Universidade de São Paulo (USP)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
title Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
spellingShingle Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
Garbin,Cléa Adas Saliba
Ethics
Bioethics
Dentistry
Behavior
Attitude
title_short Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
title_full Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
title_fullStr Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
title_sort Analysis of the ethical aspects of professional confidentiality in dental practice
author Garbin,Cléa Adas Saliba
author_facet Garbin,Cléa Adas Saliba
Garbin,Artênio José Isper
Saliba,Nemre Adas
Lima,Daniela Coelho de
Macedo,Ana Paula Ayala de
author_role author
author2 Garbin,Artênio José Isper
Saliba,Nemre Adas
Lima,Daniela Coelho de
Macedo,Ana Paula Ayala de
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Garbin,Cléa Adas Saliba
Garbin,Artênio José Isper
Saliba,Nemre Adas
Lima,Daniela Coelho de
Macedo,Ana Paula Ayala de
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Ethics
Bioethics
Dentistry
Behavior
Attitude
topic Ethics
Bioethics
Dentistry
Behavior
Attitude
description From the point of view of deontological ethics, privacy is a moral right that patients are entitled to and it is bound to professional confidentiality. Otherwise, the information given by patients to health professionals would not be reliable and a trustable relationship could not be established. The aim of the present study was to assess, by means of questionnaires with open and closed questions, the awareness and attitudes of 100 dentists working in the city of Andradina, São Paulo State, Brazil, with respect to professional confidentiality in dental practice. Most dentists (91.43%) reported to have instructed their assistants on professional confidentiality. However, 44.29% of the interviewees showed to act contradictorily as reported talking about the clinical cases of their patients to their friends or spouses. The great majority of professionals (98.57%) believed that it is important to have classes on Ethics and Bioethics during graduation and, when asked about their knowledge of the penalties imposed for breach of professional confidentiality, only 48.57% of them declared to be aware of it. Only 28.57% of the interviewees affirmed to have exclusive access to the files; 67.14% reported that that files were also accessed by their secretary; 1.43% answered that their spouses also had access, and 2.86% did not answer. From the results of the present survey, it could be observed that, although dentists affirmed to be aware of professional confidentiality, their attitudes did not adhere to ethical and legal requirements. This stand of health professionals has contributed to violate professional ethics and the law itself, bringing problems both to the professional and to the patient.
publishDate 2008
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2008-02-01
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-77572008000100015
url http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-77572008000100015
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv 10.1590/S1678-77572008000100015
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv text/html
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Faculdade De Odontologia De Bauru - USP
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Faculdade De Odontologia De Bauru - USP
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Journal of Applied Oral Science v.16 n.1 2008
reponame:Journal of applied oral science (Online)
instname:Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
instacron:USP
instname_str Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
instacron_str USP
institution USP
reponame_str Journal of applied oral science (Online)
collection Journal of applied oral science (Online)
repository.name.fl_str_mv Journal of applied oral science (Online) - Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv ||jaos@usp.br
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