Reflections on Stigma, HIPAA, and other Patient Health Information

Reflection
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Article 1
Stigma is a damaging social phenomenon that should be addressed to improve the lives of people living with HIV and other conditions. This phenomenon negatively affects health outcomes because it leads to higher depression, lower visit compliance, non-optical medicine adherence, and overall lower quality of life. Suppose a person with specific conditions like HIV is labeled as socially undesirable or devalued. Their emotional well-being and mental health would be affected. People living with HIV often develop a negative self-image when stigmatized. From an individual perspective, it makes no sense to stigmatize a person or discriminate against them based on their conditions because this behavior worsens the health of the individuals. It is imperative to establish appropriate mechanisms to stop or prevent the prevalence of stigma among HIV patients and people with other conditions that are vulnerable to stigma. This raises the question: what actions should one take to overcome stigma?
Article 2
The duty to respect the confidentiality of a patient's medical information is one of the oldest principles of ethics. This principle bars nurses from sharing medical information without the patient's consent. Breach of confidentiality is ethically and legally unacceptable in nursing practice. However, I agree with Reid that nurses should protect the third party from infection. If a spouse is HIV positive, the physician should allow the patient to share their status with their partner during an appointment. If the patient feels uncomfortable, the patient should let the physician diagnose with the spouse. In case the patient declines the two options, the physician needs to inform the patient that they must protect third parties from harm. Patients should understand that letting their partners know their condition promotes healthy living. The critical question in this article is: Does the patient's right to confidentiality threaten the lives of the third party?
Article 3
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (H...