Does precedence trump in the origins of confidentiality?

While confidentiality and ethics hold a key position within modern paramedic practice, they are not new phenomena. As an embryonic profession, paramedics turned to medical colleagues who recall the Hippocratic Oath as a source in which the principle meaning of medical confidentiality can be traced back some 2500 years (Edelstein, 1943).

The Oath, in its original form, provided a rough code of ethical practice for early physicians. This included a duty to:

With regards to confidentiality, the Oath states:

‘All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal’ (Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPC), 2016).

It is interesting that the Oath deals with privacy, as the modern paramedic is well-versed in the need to protect patient privacy, and subsequently protect themselves. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (2012) gives clear directions on the standards expected. It would seem that there is an affinity between the Oath and modern guidance on confidentiality: both seek to maintain privacy on the basis that this protects patient welfare. However, the Oath came before modern confidentiality guidance; therefore, it must be the foundation for its existence.