Which term is the practice of keeping patient information private?

• A. Ethics
• B. Confidentiality
• C. Health Record
• D. Data Collection

Answer: (B)

Confidentiality is the practice of keeping patient information private. In healthcare, this means details about a patient’s health, tests, and treatment are shared only with people who need to know for the patient’s care or as required by law, and always with the patient’s consent when appropriate. This privacy protects the patient’s dignity, helps preserve trust, and supports safe, effective care. While ethics covers broader principles guiding professional behavior, confidentiality is a specific duty within that framework. A health record is the actual file that contains patient data, and while it must be accurate and accessible to authorized providers, confidentiality governs who can see it and how it can be shared. Data collection is about gathering information, not about privacy protections, so it isn’t the term for keeping information private.