Your life in their pocket: students' behaviors regarding confidential patient information

Physicians are sometimes poor at observing patient confidentiality. Medical students have access to patients and their medical records, but there is little known about how well students respect patients' confidentiality. Our objective was to study how medical students deal with confidential patient information.

Qualitative research methods (focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and direct peer observation of student activity) were used to explore the approach of medical students to patient confidentiality in a British medical school.

We interviewed 32 students, held focus groups involving 24 students, and undertook direct observation of student activity. The main themes derived from the data included the context within which students practice, variation in students' attitude and behavior toward patient confidentiality, and the dissonance between confidentiality theory and practice.

While many students practiced in a professional manner, several reported markedly suboptimal performance in themselves or others. These behaviors appear to be driven by students' own professionalism and behavior learned from senior colleagues. While new technologies pose some particular threats to confidentiality, paper records seem just as vulnerable.