Why you should read this article:

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To enhance your awareness of the reasons for breaches of patient confidentiality in healthcare settings

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To learn about the experiences of confidentiality among young people, their parents and related caregivers during a hospital stay

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To identify areas that could be addressed to ensure the confidentiality of children and young people is protected in hospital settings

Background Healthcare professionals, including nurses, have a vital role in protecting patient confidentiality. However, evidence shows that breaches of confidentiality are common in hospitals for various reasons, including the ward design and issues related to healthcare staff’s professionalism. The situation can be complicated further in paediatric care because of the age range of patients and their associated needs and rights about information sharing, confidentiality and consent.

Aim To explore the views and experiences of young people admitted to hospital, and their parents and related caregivers, about the effects of confidentiality breaches.

Method A descriptive questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2018 in two regional hospitals in Denmark over two weeks. A total of 214 surveys were completed by parents and related caregivers (n=173) and by young people (n=41).

Findings Many parents and young people reported that they had overheard healthcare professionals discussing care, including information about named patients, test results, personal disclosures and various comments or opinions. In many cases these breaches of confidentiality affected patients’ overall experience of hospital and led some to withhold important information.

Conclusion This study demonstrates the challenges of preserving confidentiality in children’s wards. Situations in which confidentiality breaches were reported appear to have been affected by the physical environment, such as ward design, as well as staff behaviour and attitudes. Therefore, nurses and other healthcare professionals need to enhance their understanding of issues related to confidentiality and pay attention to how and where information about patients is shared.