Define "confidentiality" in healthcare.

Confidentiality in healthcare refers to the ethical principle of safeguarding patient information from unauthorized disclosure. This principle is fundamental in establishing trust between healthcare providers and patients, and it ensures that sensitive personal health information is kept secure and only shared with individuals who are authorized or need to know for the patient’s care.

Maintaining confidentiality helps protect patients' privacy, promoting honest communication, which is vital for effective treatment. This commitment extends beyond verbal conversations to include written, electronic, and all other forms of patient data. The legal and ethical obligations to adhere to confidentiality are also reinforced by laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States, which mandates stringent safeguards for health information.

The other options, while relevant to healthcare practice, do not encapsulate the essence of confidentiality as it pertains specifically to the protection of patient information. Reporting medical errors is more related to transparency and patient safety. Consent before treatment involves patient autonomy rather than information protection. Informing others about a patient's condition is contrary to the principle of confidentiality unless appropriate consent has been obtained. Thus, the definition provided by the correct choice accurately captures the essence of confidentiality in a healthcare setting.