What protects a resident's personal health information under privacy laws?

• A. The nurse's personal discretion.
• B. Confidentiality and privacy laws (e.g., HIPAA); share information only with authorized individuals.
• C. The honesty policy between staff and residents.
• D. The facility's door policy.

Answer: (B)

Personal health information is protected by confidentiality and privacy laws, such as HIPAA, which set strict rules about who can see and share a resident’s health details. The key idea is that PHI should be kept private and only disclosed to people who need it to provide care or as the law allows. This means you share information only with authorized members of the care team or with others who have the resident’s written consent, and you protect records from inappropriate access.

This approach is essential because it keeps residents' dignity and safety intact while ensuring care quality. It also provides clear boundaries for what can be discussed and with whom. Joking about or casually sharing a resident’s health information with unapproved people isn’t acceptable, and relying on personal judgment alone isn’t sufficient—laws specify what counts as a permissible disclosure and what doesn’t.

Other options don’t fit because a nurse’s personal discretion isn’t a legal safeguard, the honesty policy isn’t a formal privacy protection, and a facility’s door policy doesn’t govern how health information is shared or protected.