When should professionals keep client/ patient confidences, and when does the threat of public harm outweigh the duty of confidentiality? The paper discusses some philosophical considerations relating to professional confidentiality, and then traces the evolution of professional guidance concerning confidentiality in three professions: medicine, law, and accounting. The author concludes that changes in public expectations necessitate a complete rethinking of and reformulation of present confidentiality guidance by professional groups, from the ground floor up.
