BackgroundRespecting patients’ confidentiality is an ethical and legal responsibility for health professionals and the cornerstone of care excellence. This study aims to assess health professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and associated factors towards patients’ confidentiality in a resource-limited setting.MethodsInstitutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 health professionals. Stratified sampling methods were used to select the participants, and a structured self-administer questionnaire was used for data collection. The data was entered using Epi-data version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS, version 25. Bi-variable and (...) multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were used to measure the association between the dependent and independent variables. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals and P value was calculated to determine the strength of association and to evaluate statistical significance.ResultOut of 410 participants, about 59.8% with [95% CI (54.8–68.8%)] and 49.5% with [95% CI (44.5–54.5%)] had good knowledge and favorable attitude towards patents confidentiality respectively. Being male (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI [1.03–2.59]), taking training on medical ethics (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI = [1.11–2.70]), facing ethical dilemmas (AOR = 3.07, 95% CI [1.07–8.79]) were significantly associated factors for health professional knowledge towards patients’ confidentiality. Likewise, taking training on medical ethics (AOR = 2.30, 95% CI [1.42–3.72]), having direct contact with the patients (AOR = 3.06, 95% CI [1.12–8.34]), visiting more patient (AOR = 4.38, 95% CI [2.46–7.80]), and facing ethical dilemma (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI [1.23–10.26]) were significant factors associated with attitude of health professionals towards patient confidentiality.ConclusionThe findings of this study revealed that health professionals have a limited attitude towards patient confidentiality but have relatively good knowledge. Providing a continuing medical ethics training package for health workers before joining the hospital and in between the working time could be recommended to enhance health professionals’ knowledge and attitude towards patient confidentiality. (shrink)

The implementation of international human rights laws at the national and local levels relies on the framing of norms. Recent research has shown that international norms regarding child marriage have shifted from setting a minimum age limit to building the agency of girls to resist the practice, which can be either active or passive. Active agency requires taking action for its purpose, whereas passive agency involves acting in situations with limited options. The dominant discourse on child marriage often portrays girls (...) as victims, and this article adds to the existing literature on how child brides exert agency utilizing semiotics approach. Based on an extended qualitative study conducted at _Quarit Woreda_, the Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia, the article explores how the girls have been exerting transformative agency to resist the practice, or at least exercise limited agency to enforce their marital choice. It also contrasts them with female parents, where the latter are found to uphold mythical signification being one among the central norm holders. By doing so, the contribution seeks to understand the semiotic system—the structural resources that support versus socio-cultural factors that constrain their agency. This article also discusses the multifaceted difficulties faced by girls in challenging the well-established norm and the creative strategies they use to overcome impediments through networking and collaboration pathways. Lastly, the article suggests potential future interventions that aim to enhance girls’ transformative agency which in turn supports the effective enforcement of child marriage law in the study area. (shrink)