Scenario Type: Confidentiality Dilemmas

Confidentiality dilemmas are among the most nuanced SJT scenarios. They test your ability to navigate the tension between maintaining patient privacy and other competing obligations — including safeguarding, public safety, and the duty of care. This lesson presents the most common confidentiality scenario types with fully analysed worked examples.

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The Core Principle

Default position: Maintain confidentiality. Every departure from this default must be justified by a specific, legitimate reason.

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Scenario A: A Friend Asks About a Patient

The Setup

Someone you know personally (a friend, family member, or fellow student not involved in the patient's care) asks you about a patient. This is one of the most common confidentiality scenarios in SJT.

The Key Principle

You must not share any patient information with anyone who is not directly involved in the patient's care — regardless of:

• How well you know the person asking
• How well they know the patient
• How concerned they seem
• Whether the information seems "harmless"

Worked Scenario