During a routine day at the clinic, a medical assistant overhears a physician discussing a celebrity patient's diagnosis within earshot of other patients and staff not involved in the patient's care. The conversation includes specific details that make the patient identifiable. According to ethical standards, how should the medical assistant respond to this breach of confidentiality?
Discuss the incident with the patient to gauge their level of concern and determine next steps.
Document the incident and report it to the privacy officer or appropriate supervisory personnel.
Ignore the situation since direct involvement with the physician’s actions is beyond the assistant's responsibilities.
Confront the physician directly to express disapproval of the discussion taking place in a public setting.
Documenting the incident and reporting it to the privacy officer or appropriate supervisory personnel is the correct action, because it adheres to ethical standards for maintaining patient confidentiality and addresses the situation through proper channels. Confronting the physician directly may not be within the scope of the medical assistant's authority and could lead to an uncomfortable situation. Discussing it with the patient may inadvertently make the breach worse, and ignoring the situation allows the breach to go unaddressed.
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