ASSESSMENT OF THE ATTITUDE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TOWARD PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY AT UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT TEACHING HOSPITAL, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
Background: Protecting the privacy of patient information is essential for ethical health care, fostering trust between patients and providers. The rise of digital technology presents new challenges for maintaining confidentiality. The attitudes of health care workers greatly influence patient data safeguarding and adherence to ethical and legal standards. This study investigates the attitudes of health care professionals toward patient confidentiality at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) in Nigeria and primarily assesses health care workers’ knowledge of patient confidentiality policies, explores their attitudes toward maintaining confidentiality, and identifies factors influencing these attitudes at UPTH.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The study population included doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, and health information management officers at UPTH. A stratified random sample of 300 health care workers was selected. Data were collected through structured questionnaires that assessed knowledge, attitudes, and influencing factors.
Findings: Seventy percent of the respondents demonstrated adequate knowledge of confidentiality policies, with 76.7% being aware of the legal implications of breaches. Positive attitudes toward confidentiality were observed, with over 80% recognizing its importance for trust and hospital reputation. The results showed that training, institutional policies, and peer adherence strongly influenced attitudes, each of which affected 80% of the participants.
Conclusion: Healthcare professionals at UPTH exhibit strong knowledge and positive attitudes regarding patient confidentiality. However, systemic challenges, such as workload and resource constraints affect consistent practice. The study recommends regular training workshops, incorporating confidentiality into professional curricula, and enhancing digital security to improve confidentiality practices in health care settings
Keywords:
Attitudes, digital technology, ethical principles, health care professionals, patient confidentiality.Downloads
Published
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17151655Issue
Section
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Isaruk Ikpoko-Ore-Ebirien Dike, PhD, Ferin, Mhrimpn, Mnahe, and Masfi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Adelakun, F., & Mohammed, K. (2023). Role of policies in reducing confidentiality breaches in Nigerian teaching hospitals. Health Policy Review, 31(2), 172-190.
Adewole, S., Bello, T., & Ahmed, S. (2022). Confidentiality in Nigerian hospitals: A mixed-method study. Nigerian Journal of Medicine 27(3), 245-260.
Adewole, S., & Ahmed, S. (2022). Evaluation of confidentiality practices in sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Public Health, 14(4), 207-220.
Adeyemi, K. (2023). Health care challenges in Africa: Perspectives and solutions. Cape Town: African Academic Press
Agostino, H., & Toulany, A. (2023). Privacy and confidentiality considerations in adolescent health care service delivery. Paediatr. & Child Health, 28(3), 172-177.
Beltran-Aroca, C. M., Girela-Lopez, E., Collazo-Chao, E., Montero-Pérez-Barquero, M., & Muñoz-Villanueva, M. C. (2016). Confidentiality breaches in clinical practice: what happens in hospitals? BMC Med. Ethics, 17(52), 1-12.
Gharaibeh, L., Al-Azzam, S. I., Alzoubi, K. H., Karasneh, R. A., & Abu-Farha, R. (2022). Knowledge, practices, and patterns of data confidentiality among pharmacists in a developing country. Heliyon, 8(3), 1-7.
Ligtenberg, W. M. R., & Molewijk, A. C. & Stolper, M. M. (2024). An empirical investigation into moral challenges of (breaching) confidentiality and needs for ethics support when facilitating moral case deliberation. International Journal of Ethics Education, 79–104.
Ojo, E. (2025). Role of health information systems in addressing the scarcity of medical records in Africa: Obstacles and pathways. OSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 14(3 Ser. 3), 11-20.
Jones, R. (2022). Confidentiality breaches and their impact on patient trust. Journal of Trust in Medicine, 8(2), 98-112.
Newmark, W. (October 11, 2024). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): An overview. https://usercentrics.com/knowledge-hub/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-hipaa/
Smith, D., & Taylor, L. (2022). Digital health and confidentiality: Challenges in the modern age. Journal of Health Informatics, 7(5), 101-115.
Taylor, L. (2022). Ethics in clinical practice: A guide for health care professionals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tegegne, K. D., Melaku, B. F., & Abebe, H. T. (2022). Health professionals’ knowledge and attitude toward patient confidentiality. BMC Med. Eth., 23(1), 16.
