Question

An investigator obtains consent from subjects to review their medical records and hiv status. he plans to go back to the medical record, so the hiv status information is stored along with patient identifiers in a database that he keeps on his laptop computer. his laptop is stolen. this incident constitutes:

Answer 1

The answer to this question is “a breach of confidentiality”. Although the investigator obtained consent from the subjects about their medical records and hiv status, however, the person who stole the laptop can easily access the medical database. That person has not obtained consent from the subjects. Therefore, the investigator’s carelessness led to this breach of confidentiality.