Ethical Problem of Patient Privacy and Confidentiality Issues in Health Informatics
The midterm will be a report where you will systematically review a problem of your choice related to health informatics along with citations from a minimum of 7 peer-reviewed journal articles (10-20 sources total). You will need to discuss the history of the problem, current technology-based interventions being used to solve the identified problem, discuss the barriers to the problem being solved and the reason behind the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the current solutions.
A focused topic will allow for a stronger and clearer Midterm Report. You may discuss your potential topics of interest with the teaching team in advance of writing your paper.
For example, a topic in the area of “electronic health records” would be very broad. More preferred and likely to get a better grade would be the topic of “usability” or “implementation considerations in the use of electronic health records,” as this is more focused.
The Midterm Report should be approximately 5-6 pages (not including references), single-spaced, and in 12-point Arial font, with 1-inch margins.
Please use a minimum of 7 scholarly journals as sources and a total of 10-20 (including scholarly journals, news articles, and so on) sources for your report.
Ensure that you follow the APA format for in-text citations (Author, Year) and create a comprehensive reference page at the end of your report, also following APA format.
You can use academic search engines such as PubMedLinks to an external site. to look for scholarly journals on your selected topic.
To summarize, in the paper, you will need to:
Identify a problem within the context of health informatics and discuss its history - What led to its emergence? Why it has persisted? How long it has been a problem? What are the factors contributing to its ongoing existence?
Discuss current technology-based solutions/interventions for the problem
Discuss the effectiveness of the current solutions and barriers to the solutions in fully solving this problem
Note 1: You will use the identified problem and your findings discussed in the Midterm Report as the basis of your Final Report.
Note 2: You have the option to complete this assignment individually or in groups of two of your choice. If you decide to work in a group of two, please make sure to include both team members' names in your submission, as you will be expected to work together until the end of this class. Additionally, for groups of two, there will be an expectation of a more in-depth background analysis for the midterm report and a more involved prototype for the final report. We strongly encourage you to form teams that comprise individuals with a mix of theoretical and technical skills to effectively help with both the midterm (theory-based) and final (technical-based) reports.
Ethical Problem of Patient Privacy and Confidentiality Issues in Health Informatics
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Introduction
Advances in healthcare and technology transform medical information management and accessibility. EHRs, telemedicine, innovative technology, and data analytics have altered patient care by giving healthcare practitioners unparalleled access to vital information and innovative technologies (Keshta & Odeh, 2021). However, the shift to digital platforms has revealed the complex ethical issue of patient privacy and anonymity. Since the Hippocratic Oath, ethical medical practice has prioritized patient privacy and confidentiality. These essential principles allow patients to trust doctors and discuss their most personal health issues. Due to the rapid expansion of health informatics and data sharing, patient data security is becoming more complex. Health informatics, which digitizes health data and advances technology, has added a new dimension to patient privacy. Due to doctor-patient intimacy and paper medical records, patient privacy and confidentiality were challenging to maintain. Interoperability, cybersecurity, data analytics, informed consent, and worldwide data exchange are among the many digital challenges (Choubey & Namdeo, 2015). The rapid rise in health informatics is causing global healthcare data exchange. Health informatics has faced many patient privacy and confidentiality issues. Healthcare professionals and technology experts have developed several solutions. These solutions are extensive and complex. These procedures aim to protect patient data, restrict access to authorized users, and give patients more control over their data (Hathaliya & Tanwar, 2020). This research examines how modern technology-driven health informatics systems and methods protect patient privacy and confidentiality. This study also investigates the elements that make comprehensive solutions to complex situations difficult.
Discussion
Problem Identification
Patient privacy and secrecy protection have been an essential part of the healthcare field for a long time. Ethical principles are very important for building trust between patients and healthcare workers because they make people feel safe when they share their very private and sensitive health information (Lustgarten et al., 2020). With the rise of digital health data and advanced technology in health informatics, protecting patient privacy and confidentiality has become more complicated and raises new ethical questions.
History and Emergence of the Problem
The Hippocratic Oath, an ancient document, stipulated the obligation of physicians to maintain strict confidentiality about their patients’ information (Choubey & Namdeo, 2015). Throughout history, the fundamental nature of this concept has remained consistent, but with adaptations in medical ethics to align with the more intricate landscape of healthcare.
Ethical concerns in healthcare emerged as a problem during the mid-20th century, coinciding with the initial utilization of computers to maintain medical records. The widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) did not occur until the latter part of the 20th century (Tamil Selvi & Thamilselvan, 2022). The initial purpose of computers was to streamline administrative tasks. The process of digitizing patient data has increased efficiency within the healthcare sector while simultaneously giving rise to many ethical concerns. Patient and data privacy issues emerged due to rapid technological development. The ease of access has, however, raised concerns about data security. The requirement for interoperability increased as more healthcare providers and organizations adopted EHR systems (Kim et al., 2019). Due to this, it became crucial to share information. Providers in the healthcare industry can now freely share patient data. While improvements in patient care were made, security and privacy risks were also highlighted.
However, the necessity to use data for research purposes and preserve individual patients’ privacy could conflict under these circumstances. As medical records have become increasingly digital, so has the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches (Sreenivasan & Chacko, 2021). Famous data breaches, such as the Anthem incident in 2015, have highlighted the need for rigorous cybersecurity protocols to protect patient information. The enduring ethical dilemmas about patient privacy and confidentiality in health informatics have persisted due to the intricate interplay of complicated circumstances. The persistent prevalence of these issues can be attributed to various factors, including the rapid advancement of