ABSTRACT
This chapter considers all the patient's symptoms and all the information available to doctors and assesses the symptoms, signs and information given using this to choose the appropriate remedies for the problem, and offers extra information where available and appropriate. Absolute confidentiality is almost impossible to achieve. Doctors can do their best to minimise unintentional information leakage in telephone conversations and face-to-face communication, but a curtain round a bed is no sound barrier, and they do depend on other patients and relatives not to eavesdrop, and to respect the privacy of others. Agree with the patient what will be recorded in their notes, who can see the notes and what methods can be used for sharing information with other professionals. Make the patient aware of the possibility of delay if the medium used for sharing information is significantly slower than that normally used.
