ACADEMIC ARTICLE SUMMARY
Face to Face With "It": And Other Neglected Contexts of Health Privacy
Article Source: University of Pennsylvania Law School, Public Law Research Paper No. 07-41, 2007
Publication Date:
Time to Read: 1 minute readWritten By:
Anita AllenTAP Scholar
ARTICLE SUMMARY
Summary:
This paper looks at new cases involving medical privacy and the media.
POLICY RELEVANCE
Policy Relevance:
Respecting patient’s privacy should include protection against unauthorized recording of the patient’s image by the media or others.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Takeaways:
- Social attitudes to health have changed somewhat, and people today discuss medical problems more openly than in the past.
- Sharing information about one’s medical problems can be comforting, and can help obtain needed assistance.
- New laws have been passed to protect the privacy of patient’s medical records.
- These laws, which protect data, do not alone ensure that patients’ wishes for seclusion or respectful treatment will be heeded.
- Doctors or emergency crews that photograph, record, or broadcast distressing images of medical patients may face liability for malpractice, the infliction of emotional distress, or other lawsuits.
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About Anita Allen
Anita L. Allen is an expert on privacy law, bioethics, and contemporary values, and is recognized for her scholarship about legal philosophy, women’s rights, and race relations. In 2010 she was appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.
