Commander's 'Right to Know' Health Information: A Strategically Flawed Innovation

Abstract

The military s greatest strategic asset is its personnel. Key to individual quality of life and unit performance is the relationship between service members (SM) and their leaders. Leaders need to know as much as possible about their troops. Meanwhile SMs often want to keep medical information private. Privacy between patients and healthcare providers advances important societal objectives. Compelling reasons justify privacy, particularly in a military context where the negative stigma of seeking behavioral health services is acute. Examining the perspectives of several stakeholders, this paper addresses the strategic implications of the tension between a leader s interest in gathering his subordinates personal information and the subordinate s interest in privacy. This paper asserts that current Army and DOD guidance is strategically flawed. Current policy risks eviscerating medical privacy and confidentiality and will undermine not only a soldier s quality of life, but also, mission readiness. The paper recommends changing the current guidance to better comport with strategic objectives.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 21, 2011
Accession Number
ADA560064

Entities

People

  • Michael J. Benjamin

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Brain Injuries
  • Employment
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Quality Of Life
  • Societies
  • Students
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Strategic Security Studies