Which statement about sharing patient information with consent is correct?

• A. Consent is never required for sharing within the care team.
• B. Consent is required for sharing patient information and should be obtained for legitimate purposes.
• C. Consent is only needed for research, not care.
• D. Consent is always optional if patient is unconscious.

Answer: (B)

Sharing patient information should be done with consent and only for legitimate purposes. This protects privacy and gives patients control over who can access their health data. In practice, you obtain consent to disclose information to those outside your immediate care team, and you document it when needed. Within the care team, information can be shared to provide safe, coordinated treatment, but outside the team or for purposes like research, explicit consent or an approved authorization is typically required. There are emergency or legally mandated situations that allow disclosure without prior consent, but those are exceptions rather than the rule.