What principle governs the sharing of patient information with third parties?

The principle that governs the sharing of patient information with third parties is informed consent. Informed consent requires that healthcare providers obtain explicit permission from the patient before sharing their medical information with anyone outside the healthcare team, including third parties such as insurance companies, relatives, or even researchers.

This principle ensures that patients are fully aware of what information will be shared, with whom it will be shared, and for what purpose. It emphasizes the need for patients to understand the implications of sharing their health information, thereby empowering them to make educated decisions regarding their personal health data. Informed consent is a fundamental aspect of patients' rights in healthcare, reinforcing the idea that patients have control over their own medical information.

The other principles, while related to patient care and rights, do not specifically govern the sharing of information. Patient autonomy focuses on the right of patients to make decisions about their own healthcare. Duty to inform pertains to the obligation of healthcare providers to communicate necessary information to patients but does not specifically address sharing information with third parties. Right to privacy encompasses the broader concept of confidentiality in healthcare, but it is the informed consent process that explicitly pertains to the act of sharing patient information.