No Dr.-Patient Confidentiality for Loopy Gun Owners

(UK) The Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Medical Association have agreed to link patient medical records to firearms licensing data and to waive doctor-patient confidentiality with regard to mentally-ill gun owners.

Consequently, if a doctor thinks a gun-owning patient is seriously loopy, the information is shared with the police.

Doctors had concerns about the police proposal. One fear was that it could deter gun owners from coming to them with concerns about their health; another was breaching the sacrosanct duty of confidentiality.

Other concerns included doctors fearing being blamed if a patient went on a killing spree, and the fact that they lacked the time and training to make proper mental health assessments.

Practical problems remain with the scheme, including fears among police that the security protecting doctors' records may be too lax, turning them into a treasure trove for criminals trying to get their hands on the names and addresses of people with weapons. Guns remain a precious commodity among criminals.

A police source said: "Do doctors have a duty to tell the police if someone with a gun becomes seriously mentally ill? If doctors don't have the information about who owns a gun, how will they know when to tell the police?"

Frankly, I understand the need but I fear the unintended consequences of waiving a historical privilege. My vote would be to retain doctor-patient confidentiality.