Sometimes individuals may make different decisions if private information gets out, as compared to when the private information is still private. Individuality is the ability for one to stand out and remain unique in various circumstances. Therefore, when certain information is private, individuals have more of an ability to play it to their advantage or not. The choice would lie in their hands and not in the society that surrounds them. Respect is one aspect that may be the most obvious of the four. People may respect you more if they do not know definite things about you, for example, if one had a sexually transmitted disease, they would be treated with a certain level of respect if the information was not made public. And last but not least, dignity. Many people feel that if some information about them was made public, they would lose their worth in the society and would be looked down upon.
It is also believed by many that privacy is a key aspect in forming social relationships with different people (Rachels). For example, the information you would share with your child is not necessarily the same that you would share with one of your close friends. Though it is important that a patient and his/her doctor are able to form a particular relationship that will ensure the patient is open and free with the doctor and information shared is private. So far, emphasis on the importance of privacy has been to the individual, but privacy is also essential for the society. Privacy enables the existence of a free society whereby it contributes to the type of society being built and/or maintained. .
Privacy is very key to health research. If a patient is comfortable enough to share private information about him/herself, it would lead to the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship. This is such that the patient would not give inaccurate data or withhold information, but instead "come clean," which in the end would lead to advancement in the particular field and not subject the healthcare system to vulnerabilities.
