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Milanifar A, Larijani B, Paykarzadeh P, et al. Breaching confidentiality: medical mandatory reporting laws in Iran. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2014;7:13
Milanifar, A., Larijani, B., Paykarzadeh, P., Ashtari, G., & Mehdi Akhondi, M. (2014). Breaching confidentiality: medical mandatory reporting laws in Iran. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 713.
Milanifar, Alireza, et al. "Breaching confidentiality: medical mandatory reporting laws in Iran." Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine vol. 7 (2014): 13.
Milanifar A, Larijani B, Paykarzadeh P, Ashtari G, Mehdi Akhondi M. Breaching confidentiality: medical mandatory reporting laws in Iran. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2014 Aug 06;7:13. eCollection 2014. PMID: 25512832; PMCID: PMC4263389.
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J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2014 Aug 06;7:13. eCollection 2014.

Breaching confidentiality: medical mandatory reporting laws in Iran.

Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine

Alireza Milanifar, Bagher Larijani, Parvaneh Paykarzadeh, Golanna Ashtari, Mohammad Mehdi Akhondi

Affiliations

  1. Medical Ethics PhD Candidate, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  2. Professor, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  3. Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
  4. Professor, Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.

PMID: 25512832 PMCID: PMC4263389

Abstract

Medical ethics is a realm where four important subjects of philosophy, medicine, theology and law are covered. Physicians and philosophers cooperation in this area will have great efficiency in the respective ethical rules formation. In addition to respect the autonomy of the patient, physician's obligation is to ensure that the medical intervention has benefit for the patient and the harm is minimal. There is an obvious conflict between duty of confidentiality and duty of mandatory reporting. Professional confidentiality is one of the basic components in building a constant physician-patient relationship which nowadays, beside the novelty, it is the subject of discussion. Legal obligation of confidentiality is not absolute. In physician-patient relationship, keeping patient's secrets and maintaining confidentiality is a legal and ethical duty, and disclosure of such secrets is mainly through specific statutes. Thus, there are a number of situations where breach of confidentiality is permitted in different legal systems. One of the situations where breaching confidentiality is permitted is the medical mandatory reporting to the relevant authority which is in accordance with many countries' legal systems. Some situations are considered in many countries legal systems' such as notification of births and deaths, infectious diseases, child abuse, sport and relevant events, medical errors, drug side effects and dangerous pregnancies. In this paper, we will examine and discuss medical mandatory reporting and its ethical and legal aspects in the judicial and legal system of Iran and few other countries. Finally we will suggest making Medical Mandatory Reporting Law in Iran.

Keywords: confidentiality; mandatory reporting; medical reporting; patient’s rights; public interest

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