HIPAA Training, Ethics, and Self-Awareness in Human Services

Impact of Online HIPAA Training on Ethical Principles

Online HIPAA training has reinforced the importance and responsibility I feel in my role as a practitioner within the human services profession. This training has made me more aware of the numerous relationships I influence and the significant ramifications of my role. As the National Organization for Human Services has observed:

[Human service professionals] enter into professional-client relationships with individuals, families, groups, and communities who are all referred to as "clients" in these standards. Among their roles are caregiver, case manager, broker, teacher/educator, behavior changer, consultant, outreach professional, mobilizer, advocate, community planner, community change organizer, evaluator, and administrator.

HIPAA regulations have reinforced my acknowledgment of the fact that the client is in a vulnerable position — this is no equal situation of friendship — and that I cannot take advantage of that vulnerability. Recognizing that this is a different sort of relationship provides it with a certain sacredness and uniqueness that casual relationships lack. My behavior is more respectful toward the client, while at the same time I maintain a degree of detachment, perceiving him or her as a client who must be respected. With HIPAA regulations in mind, I am less likely to be personally hurt by the client, since the relationship assumes a more detached, professional stance. On the contrary, if I do feel personally hurt, that should prompt me to examine my professional conduct.

The Practitioner-Client Relationship and Confidentiality

The principles seem to flow from one another: confidentiality protects the relationship and emphasizes its uniqueness. The practitioner steps outside of himself — it is as though he is temporarily diminished — and enters fully into the client's world. The client fills the room; the practitioner, in order to most effectively help, must give the client his or her undivided attention.

Best helping the other involves best helping oneself. The HIPAA regulations, I realized, by imposing constraints are in fact guiding me and granting me the opportunity to become not only a far more effective helper, but also a far better person.

Self-Awareness as Preparation for Case Management

A quotation particularly relevant to the caring professions is that "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Empathy and genuine concern for those in your charge therefore come first — although knowledge and skill remain important. The complete package makes an effective caseworker, and to be effective, one needs self-awareness in order to acknowledge one's strengths and actively work on one's weaknesses.

In fact, Brammer (1993, as cited in Woodside & McClam, 1993) concluded his thorough literature review by observing that the self-aware worker was equally effective, if not more so, in helping clients than the worker who possessed years of accumulated knowledge alone.

This is true because many of the skills that case managers use are grounded in self-knowledge. These include interviewing skills, communication (both verbal and non-verbal), negotiation and collaboration, advocacy, adherence to HIPAA rules, and cultural competence. The better one is at these, the more effective a case manager one becomes. Improving these skills, however, requires a high level of self-awareness — and this is precisely how the capacity for self-awareness prepares one for a case management role.

Conclusion

Knowledge of the HIPAA regulations not only makes me a more effective case-worker but also increases my recognition of the importance of self-awareness. HIPAA sharpens my sense of responsibility as a practitioner, which in turn motivates me to develop greater self-awareness in order to consistently uphold professional and ethical standards.