You are providing care to a 54-year-old patient complaining of chest pain. The patient asks to speak to you privately. He tells you he is taking Cialis for erectile dysfunction, and his wife does not know he is taking it. He does not want his wife to find out. As you are putting the EMS bags back in the ambulance, the wife corners you and insists that you tell her what her husband said. What should you do?
A) You should tell her. As his spouse, she is legally entitled to know his medical information.
B) You should not tell her. There is no reason to humiliate your patient by disclosing his embarrassing condition.
C) You should not tell her. By law, your conversation with your patient is confidential.
D) You should tell her. He may be having an affair without her knowledge, and she needs to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Question 2
A male AEMT was discussing a patient's medical condition with a female EMT who works for another service. She then repeated this information to others, and it got back to the patient. Regarding confidentiality, which of the following is TRUE?
A) The male AEMT could be charged with slander.
B) The female EMT committed an EMTALA violation.
C) Both providers violated EMTALA regulations.
D) The male AEMT violated the HIPAA law.
