Confidentiality in general medicine and police service medicine

Confidentiality in medical practice is a complex matter. This is because of the uniqueness of each doctor-patient relationship. The availability of guidelines assists when a more formal direction needs to be established. Doctors should remember that the most specific advice will come from their medical protection society and they should seek this if they have any doubts. A patient's secrets are theirs and theirs alone. Generally, a doctor can divulge them only with his or her patient's permission.