How does the whole “what you say will not leave this room” thing work with doctors?

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Sorry I couldn’t word that better, but I don’t know the proper term. My vocabulary is kind of limited and I have trouble putting thoughts into words.

I always see stuff about this rule, but I don’t really understand it. You can’t talk about what’s said during this appointment, but what does that entail? And what are the exceptions to this rule, because I think there are, right?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

This is often called Doctor-patient confidentiality. Basically, your doctor can talk about your condition with other doctors or hospitals that need to know, but they can’t tell anyone else without your permission. Not your family or friends, not strangers, not your employer, they can’t post on social media about you, etc.

The policy is meant to make people feel more comfortable receiving medical care. For example, if you need care for an STI you may have family members that disapprove of you being sexually active or you may just be embarrassed about the condition, but neither of those things should prevent you from seeking medical care.

You can of course give the doctor permission to share details with certain people, and I believe doctors can tell parents about their children’s conditions until they turn about 18 (feel free to fact check me on that with a Google search). Not sure about other exceptions.

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