Privacy Concerns in a Surgical Environment

Kathryn L. Howe and Mark Be

Abstract

With the advent of electronic communication and use of technology in healthcare, patient privacy has become a greater concern as we weigh the utility of efficient processes against patient rights. At the root of all bioethical dilemmas lie patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Surgical patients must weave through a more complex and intimate healthcare system where they are particularly vulnerable given the physical exposure, anaesthesia, and open concept design of the perioperative environments. As a result, all domains of privacy require protection – physical, psychological, social, and information. Here we present a case scenario illustrating the potential privacy concerns facing a surgical patient through various points of contact within this unique system and discuss the literature surrounding what is known regarding privacy in these contexts.