Violation of confidentiality defines:

• A. Assault
• B. Battery
• C. False imprisonment
• D. Invasion of privacy

Answer: (D)

Protecting patient information is about keeping what is told or seen in confidence and sharing it only with those who need to know for the patient’s care. A violation of confidentiality occurs when that private information is disclosed without consent or when someone intrudes into a patient’s private matters. That breach is best described as invasion of privacy, since it centers on exposing or intruding into personal facts or space rather than harming or restraining someone physically.

This differs from assault, which is a threat of bodily harm, and from battery, which is actual unwanted physical contact. False imprisonment involves restraining someone against their will. So the act of leaking or improperly sharing private health information fits the idea of invasion of privacy rather than those other concepts.