A survey of physicians suggests privacy and confidentiality are essential in emergency care, especially for patients reluctant to undress or divulge sensitive, personal information in front of other people in an exam room or in a hallway. To see how doctors think a lack of privacy affects care, researchers surveyed ER physicians at a conference in Boston. Overall, nine in 10 doctors said they changed or shortened how they took patient medical histories when someone else was present. Over half of them also altered how they did a physical exam. Only 26% said taking an abbreviated medical history had not led them to fail to diagnose a social issue. But more a third said they missed cases of domestic violence under these circumstances, while about 12% overlooked instances of child abuse. In addition, 47% thought a shortened medical history was linked to missing substance abuse and 25% said an altered exam had this result.
NBHC Care Experience