Ostomy/wound management
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With few exceptions, personal privacy has long been an ethical right and legal mandate. Clinicians, policy makers, and consumers are challenged to find a balance between allowing consumers to be protected and allowing clinicians to meet patient care needs. ⋯ The ethical principle of patient confidentiality, including the right to personal privacy, is reviewed along with its relationship to computer-generated wound care tracking programs that transcend practice settings. Options for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance are presented.