Which statement best describes the relationship between patient privacy and ethical nursing practice?

• A. Patient privacy is optional in ethics guidelines.
• B. Privacy concerns are unrelated to confidentiality and consent.
• C. Respecting patient privacy is an ethical obligation that supports confidentiality, trust, and informed consent.
• D. Privacy applies only to paper records.

Answer: (C)

Respecting patient privacy is an ethical obligation that supports confidentiality, trust, and informed consent. When nurses protect privacy, they keep personal health information confidential, which is essential for patients to feel safe sharing honest details about their health. This safeguarding also reinforces trust in the nurse–patient relationship; patients are more likely to be open and accurate in reporting if they believe their information will be kept private. Informed consent depends on privacy, because patients must understand what will be disclosed, to whom, and for what purpose, and they must have control over those disclosures. Privacy isn’t optional, it isn’t separate from confidentiality and consent, and it isn’t limited to paper records—it covers electronic records, conversations, and how information is stored and transmitted.