Which ethical obligation most directly protects patient information?

• A. Autonomy
• B. Confidentiality
• C. Beneficence
• D. Justice

Answer: (B)

Confidentiality is the ethical obligation that protects patient information by keeping details of a patient’s health, diagnoses, and care private and sharing them only with the patient’s consent or when disclosure is legally required. This duty underpins trust in the patient–provider relationship and helps prevent harm that could result from unnecessary or inappropriate disclosures. While autonomy concerns the patient’s right to decide about their own care, beneficence focuses on acting for the patient’s good, and justice centers on fair treatment; none of these directly impose the concrete duty to shield information. So the obligation that most directly protects patient information is confidentiality.