病人隱私權保護和公眾權利的衝突－－以臺灣病人個案分析為中心

The Conflict between Public Right and Patient’s Right to Privacy - A Case Study of Patients in Taiwan

病人的醫療資訊具有高敏感度的特殊性質，病人需要「隱私」，保護病人隱私權可以使病人有安全感，並能實現個人、社會的基本和諧及安定。當病人個人隱私同時涉及到他人利益時，如何衡平及調整公共利益、第三人利益及個人隱私利益之間的衝突，是維護病人隱私權的最大挑戰。判斷是否侵犯病人隱私權時，具體取決於某醫院的行為方式是否具備侵權責任的構成要件，亦即是否有侵權的事實、行為人是否有故意或過失、行為人行為是否違法、違法行為與損害結果間是否有因果關係。本文以醫護角度分析台灣病人隱私權和公眾權利衝突的相關個案，建議醫療院所相關業務人員提供醫療服務時，應依法保障病人的隱私權不受他人侵犯，以期病人隱私權的維護落實於日常醫療實務中。

Patient’s medical information has a special nature with a high sensitivity. Patients need “privacy”. The protection of patient’s privacy can ensure individual security; fulfill individual and social harmony; and achieve society safety. When a patient’s privacy involves others, a great challenge for protecting patient’s privacy is to balance and adjust the conflicts among public health interests, the interests of others, and patient’s benefits. To determine whether a patient’s privacy is violated, depending on the behavior has been done by the hospitals. To determine whether the elements of tort liability is met, the criteria include: (1) whether there is any damage behaviors; (2) is the behavior done by the perpetrators on purpose or negligence; (3) is the perpetrators’ behavior against the Civil Law; (4) is there a causal relationship between the results and damage behaviors. This article analyzes conflict cases which are related to patient’s right to privacy and public right, in Taiwan. By the Civil Law, this article suggests healthcare providers should pay more attention to protecting patients’ privacy in routine medical practices.