Mary Smith has been a patient of Dr. Williams from 1985 to the present time. During that time, she has had three children and been treated for a variety of conditions, including depression in 1986 and herpes in 1990. Mary and her husband, George, have filed for divorce. George wants custody of the children and is claiming that Mary has a medical condition that makes her an unfit mother. An attorney, acting on George's behalf in the divorce proceedings, has obtained a subpoena for Mary's medical records for the years 1995 to the present. Dr. Williams' assistant, who is a medical records technician, copies Mary's entire medical record from 1985 to the present and sends it to the attorney.

Do you believe that this error was common or uncommo error?

What negative effect for Mary might this error cause?

Is it a violation of confidentiality? Why/why not? Was it appropriate for the assistant to make a copy of any part of Mary's medical record