ACOEM Updates
Confidentiality Policies
[Posted 02/19/2008]
The
American College of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (ACOEM) has recently reviewed and revised
its policy and position statement regarding
confidentiality of medical information in the
workplace.
ACOEM
had
published its first Code of Ethical Conduct
in 1976, later revising it in 1993, then more
recently in January, 2008.
ACOEM recognizes that the “laws governing the
confidentiality of employee medical information are
complex and vary depending on the relationship
between parties and by jurisdiction. Difficult
ethical problems arise when the physician must
attempt to balance the importance of the worker’s
need and right to keep information confidential
versus the employer’s need and legal right to know
or the interests of other parties.”
To
assist physicians on this topic, ACOEM has published additional
guidance on medical confidentiality in the Policies
& Position Statements section of its website.
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