25 May 2014

Privacy - what data to share

Interesting article from Dr Ian Oliver about privacy (on a nursing website but the lessons are transferable).  He explains (with a Venn Diagram) about the risks of passing on too much information.  My thought though is that in many situations like this, the greater risk is that fear about privacy concerns prevents sharing of information which then poses a greater risk.

Using a real example from this week: an employee is severely allergic to balloons (or the powder that lines them) and tells her boss.  Medical privacy might suggest we can't tell anyone but is this really in the best interest of the employee?  Does the risk of the privacy breach outweigh the risk of death caused by a potential allergic episode each time someone has a birthday and their desk is decorated with balloons?

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