Sensitivity towards patient needs in the occupational health consultation

Background Many employers in Finland provide not only preventive health care but also primary care for their employees. This puts occupational health professionals (OHPs) in a dual role, which in turn raises questions about patient privacy. Aim To investigate occupational health nurses' (n = 140) and physicians' (n = 94) perceptions of privacy in caring relationships. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 183 occupational health (OH) physicians and 183 OH nurses. Descriptive statistics and frequency tables were used to characterize the variables. The differences between nurses and physicians were determined with Pearson's chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests. Results Both nurses and physicians felt that physical, social, psychological and informational privacy was important in the OH setting. The duration of work experience did affect perceptions of privacy. One-third of respondents considered it good practice to take a full medical history from prospective employees as part of the pre-employment assessment. Over half of the OHPs found the currently valid requirements concerning patients' information privacy too strict in that they may in certain cases complicate the provision of care and treatment. Conclusions Tact and sensitivity are paramount when dealing with patient privacy. The aim of privacy, however, should not be to conceal information, but rather to prevent any harmful disclosure.