What should EMS practitioners respect regarding patient information?

• A. Patient information may be shared with any coworker.
• B. Only information essential to treatment should be protected.
• C. Medical data can be published in public forums.
• D. All confidential information obtained during professional service.

Answer: (D)

Confidentiality of patient information is essential in EMS. Practitioners should treat all information obtained during professional service as private and protect it from unnecessary disclosure. Sharing should be limited to those who need to know to provide care, coordinate with hospitals, or satisfy legal and billing requirements, and only with patient consent when appropriate. This aligns with laws and professional ethics that protect patient privacy. The best approach is to protect all confidential information, not share it broadly or publish it publicly. Sharing with coworkers who aren’t directly involved or publishing in public forums would breach confidentiality, while limiting protection to only the minimum necessary is too narrow to safeguard trust and privacy.