Testimonial privilege
Definition
A legal protection that shields certain communications from compelled disclosure in court. Nurse-patient communications have varying degrees of privilege depending on jurisdiction; forensic clinical records are generally discoverable by court order even where privilege applies.
Related terms
- Dual role
- The simultaneous obligation of a forensic nurse to act as a clinical patient advocate and as a forensic evidence collector. The two...
- Informed consent
- Legally valid agreement to a procedure, requiring that the patient has been given sufficient information, has capacity to understand it, and is...
- Mandatory reporting
- A statutory obligation in specified categories, most commonly child abuse and serious violent crime, that requires a health professional to report to...
- POCSO Act 2012
- India's Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which creates a mandatory reporting obligation for all persons including healthcare professionals who have...
- Professional accountability
- The obligation of a registered nurse to practise within the standards set by the relevant regulatory body, NMC in the UK, state...
Explained in
- Ethical and Legal Principles in Forensic NursingA legal protection that shields certain communications from compelled disclosure in court. Nurse-patient communications have varying degrees of privilege depen...