Confidentiality of sexual orientation in psychiatry Confidencialidad de la orientación sexual en psiquiatría

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of this study was to explore which are the limits to confidentiality that 31 psychiatrists, from Santiago (Chile) and Medellín (Colombia), consider as appropriate when dealing with information on sexual orientation in psychiatric practice. Methods: A questionnaire containing twenty assertions was applied to explore agreement with them. A scale ranging from 1 (no agreement at all) to 5 (complete agreement) was used. Results: There was agreement on the need of inquiring sexual orientation during the psychiatric encounter. There was no agreement, however, on the appropriateness of registering this information in the medical record, irrespective of the sexual orientation of the patient. History of sexual abuse of children or disabled people was considered as a valid waiver of this duty of confidentiality when answering a judicial request. On the contrary, the requirements of information coming from insurance companies were not considered as valid reasons for bre