NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 3 Applying Ethical Principles

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Hi, I am _______. The current presentation revolves around the application of ethical principles to one of the healthcare issues, namely, health information privacy.

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• Applying Ethical Principles

Ethical principles applied in making decisions and actions in the health care setting are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, such that the rights of patients are not infringed, and the well-being comes first. These principles apply to health information privacy since they help in ensuring the confidentiality of sensitive information from unauthorized individuals in order to build trust between patients and healthcare providers.

It is important to know how these ethical principles are applied to healthcare issues to help professionals resolve complex situations without losing integrity and fairness. The paper explores the ways in which the principles may be used in real-life challenges in patient data protection and the development of a secure care environment.

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• Autonomy Plays a Role in Health Information Privacy

One of the ethical principles that guarantees patients the right to make an informed choice concerning their personal health data is autonomy. Autonomy with the context of health information privacy means that patients are allowed to regulate the access to their electronic health records (EHRs) and the manner in which their confidential information is utilized. Indeed, as an example, patients should be informed of their rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as a way of ensuring that their health information is not given to third parties.

In a case where a health practitioner or an organization fails to respect the autonomy of a patient to control his or her medical information, it might be counterproductive to the trust and adherence of the patient towards the privacy regulations. According to Narkhede et al. (2025), informed consent by the patient is the best way to ensure that patients can engage more and feel that they are in charge of their information. The autonomy will contribute to the likelihood that patients will reveal essential health information when the autonomy is observed by increasing the overall quality of care and adherence to the privacy laws.

• Credible Evidence of Autonomy in Health Information Privacy

Another study by Wang et al. (2023) devoted its attention to the direct effect of the privacy concern on the engagement and behavior of patients in online health communities. The researchers found that less willingness to share or engage is apparent when patients do not think that their data is secure, and hence, they exercise their autonomy in hiding personal data. Patient autonomy is to be acquired in these situations through an active move to provide data privacy and security.

In addition to that, as Jaime et al. (2023) also stressed, transparency in discussing the data management and privacy policy promotes trust and empowerment of patient autonomy. It is evident in these cases that autonomy is also valued not only by following the ethics but also by supporting the principle of patient care and following the health privacy laws.

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• Beneficence Plays a Role in Health Information Privacy

The ethical principle of beneficence, which means doing good and enhancing the well-being of patients, is important in the privacy of health information. According to health information privacy, the healthcare provider must be proactive in protecting the patient’s data against unauthorized access and infiltration by taking steps to ensure that the privacy policy benefits the patient. To explain that, the example of encryption technologies and periodic security audits is to be listed among the measures that would clearly reflect the advantages in terms of the safety of the sensitive health information.

Habib et al. (2022) state that the adoption of the latest and innovative technologies, like blockchain and safe cloud computing, will reduce the threat of data breach and increase the trust of patients in the system. Maintaining information privacy will ensure that the healthcare providers not only meet these requirements like the HIPAA, but also lead to the overall well-being of patients, hence a feeling of trust towards the healthcare system.

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• Credible Evidence of Beneficence in Health Information Privacy

Jaime et al. (2023) emphasize the significance of beneficence in privacy of health information and discovered that data privacy concerns might have a considerable effect on patient interaction in online health communities. Patients will have more opportunities to participate and give essential information when the medical personnel install efficient security systems, and this eventually enhances their health condition.

Incidentally, patients will feel freer to disclose sensitive health conditions when they are assured that no one will know their health conditions; therefore, the healthcare professionals will provide them with more accurate and effective services. The above activities demonstrate that beneficence in health information privacy protection can enable better involvement and health outcomes for patients, and this aligns with the ethical principle of doing good to the patients.

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• Nonmaleficence Plays a Role in Health Information Privacy

The moral principle known as nonmaleficence, which is the principle of not harm, is significant in securing the safety of health information. To be more specific, nonmaleficence within the framework of privacy of healthcare information suggests that healthcare organizations and healthcare providers must do everything in their power to prevent harm or damage caused by breaches of patient data. Mensah et al. (2024) also stressed that failure to protect patient information can lead to such severe consequences as identity theft and monetary losses, which can significantly affect the lives of patients.

One of the direct means of harm prevention is the maintenance of the health information of patients so that it is not obtained and shared with parties that do not have proper permission, e.g., emotional distress, the loss of trust, or the misuse of sensitive information. Possible harm to the personal and professional life of the patients can be prevented by the secrecy of the health data through the adoption of safe practices by the health professionals.

• Credible Evidence of Nonmaleficence in Health Information Privacy

Nonmaleficence is also a crucial concept in the privacy of health information, as the study by Narkhede et al. (2025) has demonstrated the possible harm that data breaches may produce in the medical facility. The study reveals that unless healthcare organizations execute relevant measures that will ensure that they have secured patient data, patients will be impacted adversely in significant ways, including those that pertain to exposure of fraud and personal threats to security.

Such breaches can also lead to legal and reputational losses to healthcare organizations, something that further justifies the need to practice safe data handling in the process of ensuring that patients are not injured. To ensure that healthcare organizations do not harm people, it is necessary to ensure that they do not permit the exposure of sensitive data to unauthorized individuals, which can be achieved by applying effective data protection strategies such as encryption and regular auditing. These precautions can be seen as a sign of an ethical principle, nonmaleficence and the importance of safeguarding patient privacy.

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• Biases and The Role in Health Information Privacy

Discrimination in healthcare may affect the patient’s information processing, particularly the privacy issues. Biasedness, commonly referred to as bias, means any systematic flaw (design, conduct, or analysis) of a study that warped the validity of results (Grubic et al., 2024). Common forms of bias in health care research are Selection bias (when a study sample does not reflect the target population) and Information bias (also known as measurement or misclassification bias), in which exposure or outcomes data are unstably inaccurate (Pearce et al., 2024).

Prejudices lead to the unjust treatment of some groups, especially when their health records are not well-secured. Such unfair treatment contradicts the ethical value of justice, which makes it important to provide equal and fair access to healthcare services, including the privacy of their data. Bias on the issue was another concern, which according to research conducted by Williamson and Prybotok. (2024) was a major concern in healthcare systems to enhance confidence and provide equal protection of privacy to all patients, irrespective of their background. In the case where healthcare professionals or systems harbor implicit biases, some patients may not feel safe discussing the confidentiality of their health information, which will prevent them from disclosing sensitive data.

• Credible Evidence and Examples of Biases in Health Information Privacy

It is possible to observe that the effects of biases on the privacy of health information are evident in a variety of studies and real-life examples. The failure to consider biases by the healthcare providers may result in patients belonging to the marginalized groups feeling insecure about revealing their personal health details. According to a study conducted by Nong et al. (2022), a patient who belongs to a marginalized community is prone to the lesser level of engagement with the healthcare services due to the fact that he or she fears that his or her data may be abused.

Also, a study by Jones et al. (2022) emphasized that biases in the data security practices of healthcare organizations are proactive and, consequently, patients will be more convinced to trust the system, which will lead to more favorable communication and data-sharing behaviors. All these activities are directly associated with the moral value of autonomy, as it guarantees patients access to their health information and a sense of its safety.

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• Understanding of Ethics is Important to the Four Spheres of Care

The Four Spheres of Care cannot be discussed without an understanding of ethics, especially when it is necessary to refer to the problem of health information privacy. Self-care, family care, community care, and global care are the Four Spheres of Care and each one of them requires ethical consideration in the manner that health data is stored and distributed. The practice ethics, within the thinking of health information privacy, can be used to save the data of the patient because in all areas of care, autonomy and justice are upheld.

As Pham (2025) explains, without a solid ethical foundation, medical providers may overlook the need to ensure equitable data protection, and the resulting effects may affect individuals at various levels, such as family and international healthcare systems. Ethics, such as beneficence and nonmaleficence, are important in terms of patient data protection and encouraging trust and enhancing patient involvement in any given sphere.

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• Credible Evidence of Ethics in the Four Spheres of Care

The significance of ethics in the Four Spheres of Care can be seen through the example of Sr et al (2024), who address the issue of privacy issues on patient participation in online health communities. Healthcare institutions where patient privacy is a major concern implement changes that promote an increased level of trust and participation in healthcare systems. A survey by Andrew et al. (2023) discovered that patients are more likely to provide sensitive health data on digital platforms in healthcare when the privacy practices are stringent, and they result in better clinical outcomes.

Moreover, Shojaei et al. (2024) found out that patient involvement in community and global health programs is improved when healthcare organizations use effective data encryption and access controls. Also, Khalid et al. (2023) outlined that a transparent discussion of data privacy policies enhances the autonomy of patients and builds trust and increased engagement in global health networks. The study by Zlatolas et al. (2024) emphasized the fact that the patients will be more willing to reveal their health to their healthcare providers when they are confident that the data is safe because they trust their providers.

In addition, a study by Pina et al. (2024) revealed that ethical data management models assist organizations to adhere to international requirements of privacy, which enhance transparency in healthcare practice. These results explain why the ethical standards in data management should be a priority to guarantee improved healthcare outcomes at all levels of care.

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• Conclusion

To maintain the trust of the patient and to maintain confidential information, there is a need to use ethical principles in health information privacy. Adhering to the principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, the healthcare providers will have a chance to address the challenges in data protection and promote the feeling of justice and respect towards patient rights. The understanding of these principles helps to create a healthcare setting that will foster transparency, equity, and accountability. As technology keeps on shifting, ethics will forever be relevant since it is the way to ensure that patient data is secured and that the privacy ethical standard is upheld at all levels of care.

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