Confidentiality applies to which records?

• A. Financial records
• B. All records
• C. Confidential records
• D. Public records

Answer: (B)

Confidentiality protects any information that identifies a patient or relates to their care, so it applies to every record that contains such information. This includes clinical notes, radiographs, treatment plans, consent forms, appointment logs, and even billing or administrative records linked to the patient. Because privacy safeguards must cover all sources of patient data, the broadest option—encompassing all records—is the best fit. Information that isn’t tied to a patient or is fully de-identified isn’t subject to the same confidentiality protections, but in typical clinical practice anything that contains patient information should be treated as confidential.