Available online 5 October 2022

Patients must trust doctors, their decisions and actions; this confidence extends to how we treat patients’ information. Healthcare information should be accurate and securely stored in a readily accessible format. With the digital revolution it is increasingly simple to do this, but it is important to be mindful of just how easy it is to breach confidentiality. There is extensive legislation governing the use of healthcare information and the Caldicott principles describe good practice. All healthcare professions have a moral, ethical, regulatory and legal duty to be familiar with these and ensure adherence in daily practice.

Caldicott principles

confidentiality

consent

data collection

data protection

information governance

privacy

© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.