Unveiling Realities: Exploring and Uncovering Young Adults’ Views on Navigating Confidentiality and Disclosure in Healthcare Settings in Bangalore, Southern India

Introduction Research on the healthcare available to young adults in India is negligible. There is little to no data available to describe the Indian young adults' knowledge and attitude toward a doctor-patient interaction and their perceptions on what might be a barrier to confidentiality. Young adults in India, often face the unique dilemma of being old enough to make their own medical decisions and yet often finding themselves without the freedom or knowledge to do so. Understanding factors that young adults perceive to be affecting confidentiality and a barrier in their healthcare checkups can greatly improve the quality of healthcare provided to them. Objective The objective of the study was to assess knowledge and attitudes among young adults in Bangalore City regarding the maintenance of confidentiality by a doctor while seeking healthcare and to identify perceived factors the young adults believed to be affecting confidentiality and information disclosure when seeking healthcare. Method A cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out using multi-stage random sampling. Four colleges were randomly selected from four geographic zones in Bangalore City (North, East, South, and West). The investigators developed a 30-question questionnaire, comprising sections on patient details, perceptions regarding confidentiality, factors influencing history disclosure, etc., which was validated by a panel of four faculty members from one para-clinical and two clinical departments each, belonging to the investigators' medical college. Subsequently, a pilot study with 33 participants was conducted and a sample size of 60 was arrived at assuming an 83.87% favorable knowledge regarding the right to refuse to disclose information to a doctor, with a 95% confidence interval and a 10% absolute allowable error. Further validation was done following the pilot study. Student lists from the chosen colleges were obtained, and the required sample size was distributed based on probability proportional to size (PPS): 19, 19, 12, and 10 participants from the respective colleges. Random number tables were utilized to select the required number of participants from the student population. The participants of the pilot study were not included in the study. The questionnaire was administered digitally by the investigators, and in cases where a student declined to participate, an alternative participant was chosen using random number tables. Results Results demonstrate that 21.7% (13) of respondents were unaware that a doctor is legally bound to keep details of the visit confidential. A total of 93.3% (56) of the respondents report that a parent/guardian plays an active role in their doctor’s visit. Only 16.7% (10) of respondents strongly agreed that they felt comfortable enough to have an honest conversation with their doctor. Respondents report that they were most likely to withhold history regarding sexual practices (55%), alcohol use (35%), and smoking (31.7%). Conclusion Healthcare providers should take all possible measures to ensure confidential and quality care to the vulnerable young adult population. Breach of confidentiality, often in the form of a parent or guardian being present during the history-taking process. can be a barrier to building good rapport and negatively impact the doctor-patient relationship.