Ives Erickson Jeanette, Millar Sally
Massachusetts General Hospital, USA.
Online J Issues Nurs. 2005 May 31;10(2):2.
In 1996, HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted into law. This law has had a significant impact on the health care industry including the need for numerous changes in the way we communicate with our patients, their families, and with each other. This law provides rights to patients and safeguards for employees. It affects everyone in a health care setting. Since the days in which the Nightingale Pledge was written, nursing has stressed the importance of confidentiality regarding all patient matters. The current Code of Ethics for Nurses ANA, 2001) is clear in intent and meaning as it relates to the nurse's role in promoting and advocating for patient's rights related to privacy and confidentiality. For nurses, HIPAA is an endorsement of our previously articulated responsibility to our patients. The purpose of this article is to remind nurses of the importance of keeping patient information private. This reminder will come first as HIPAA is reviewed and the implications of this Act for nurses is discussed. The reminder will also come as challenges to maintaining privacy and strategies for promoting privacy are presented.
1996年，《健康保险流通与责任法案》（简称HIPAA）颁布成为法律。该法律对医疗行业产生了重大影响，包括我们与患者、其家属以及彼此之间沟通方式需要进行诸多改变。这部法律赋予患者权利，并为员工提供保障。它影响着医疗环境中的每一个人。自《南丁格尔誓言》诞生之日起，护理工作就一直强调对所有患者事宜保密的重要性。现行的《护士伦理准则》（美国护士协会，2001年）在意图和意义上都很明确，涉及护士在促进和倡导患者隐私与保密相关权利方面的作用。对护士而言，HIPAA是对我们先前阐明的对患者责任的认可。本文旨在提醒护士保护患者信息隐私的重要性。首先，在回顾HIPAA并讨论该法案对护士的影响时会进行这样的提醒。在提出维护隐私的挑战和促进隐私的策略时也会进行这样的提醒。
