Confidentiality 101

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Information about a Client, (age, medical condition, services they receive, phone number, address, condition of the home, etc.) is private. Clients trust you to come into their home and often you find out personal information about them.

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Confidentiality has been defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as "ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access" and is one of the cornerstones of Information Security.

Confidentiality also refers to an ethical principle associated with several professions (e.g., medicine, law, religion, journalism, etc.). In ethics, and (in some places) in law and alternative forms of legal dispute resolution such as mediation, some types of communication between a person and one of these professionals are "privileged" and may not be discussed or divulged to third parties.

You have a legal and ethical obligation to keep any information about the Client private. You are not to discuss Client information with other Personal Care Aides, other Clients, the Client’s friends or family members, or your friends or family members.

Client information should only be discussed with agency staff involved in the care of the Client, or Primary Caregivers designated by the Client.

Please do not take your children or any other family member or friends to your client’s home. This is an invasion of their privacy and extends beyond the professional “Caregiver/Client” relationship.

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The “HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices” is signed by each client ensuring that they are aware of their rights to privacy, and our commitment to keep their Protected Health Information (PHI) in confidence.

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