Balancing Confidentiality and Collaboration Within Multidisciplinary Health Care Teams
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Balancing Confidentiality and Collaboration Within Multidisciplinary Health Care Teams Julia R. Van Liew
Published online: 30 October 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
Abstract As multidisciplinary perspectives are increasingly integrated into the treatment of health problems, opportunities for clinical psychologists in medical settings are expanding. Although cross-discipline collaboration is at the core of multidisciplinary treatment models, psychologists must be particularly cautious about information sharing due to their profession’s ethical standards regarding patient confidentiality. Psychologists’ ethical obligations require them to achieve a delicate balance between contributing to the treatment team and protecting patient confidentiality. In the current review, relevant ethical standards and federal guidelines are applied to everyday practices of clinical psychologists in medical settings. Additionally, recommendations for individual psychologists, health care organizations, and graduate training programs are presented. Keywords
Multidisciplinary Confidentiality Ethics
Introduction Psychologists’ presence in medical settings continues to expand across diverse patient populations and health care contexts. The field’s growth in medical settings has occurred in parallel with a shift towards integrated health care delivery models (American Psychological Association, 2011a). Multidisciplinary treatment teams are a common and critical way to address complex issues such as management of chronic illnesses, disease prevention, and non-adherence to medical regimens. Psychologists’ J. R. Van Liew (&) Department of Psychology, The University of Iowa, E11 Seashore Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA e-mail: [email protected]
participation on such treatment teams presents opportunities for providing collaborative, holistic care, yet also presents unique ethical challenges. Psychologists’ practices are guided by the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (Ethics Code; 2002), the American Psychological Association (APA) Guidelines for Psychological Practice in Health Care Delivery Systems (2011a), state and federal laws, and regulations specific to the organization in which they practice. Despite all of these guidelines, the intricacies of practicing in a health care setting frequently present unique ethical dilemmas that fail to correspond to specific standards. Specifically, psychologists must look closely at their multidisciplinary interactions with other health care professionals to ensure that they reflect optimal service to their patients. Currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding how psychologists can simultaneously serve the needs of their patients and their multidisciplinary teams in an effective and ethical manner. This review will outline the issues that may arise, regulations that are in place, and ethical action steps for clinical psychologists, health care organizations, and training programs.
Ethical Challenges A multidiscip
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