Using Technology and Protecting Patient Information and Confidentiality

Using Technology and Protecting Patient Information and Confidentiality
Evelyn Booker
Grand Canyon University
Communication and Application of Research Practice
October 20, 2016
Using Technology and Protecting Patient Information and Confidentiality
Health care is changing due to new technologies, paper –based patient records have been transformed to electronic records for easier access. Remote patient monitoring is becoming feasible due to technological improvement. Adopting new technology is ideal to improve quality health care. However, privacy and security concerns need to be addressed. Hacking is a common occurrence that has necessitated the development of highly secured information reservoirs. According to the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) (2012), healthcare delivery requires personal access to patient’s information, meaning that health care facilities are among the most information-rich institutions that exist today. When one seeks care, the expectation is that they will divulge most of their personal information to strangers with the hope that it will be kept a secret and offered the protection and confidentiality that it deserves (Health Information Technology, 2015). As the risk of compromising patient confidentiality increases, state laws, and national standards are not adequate to address the growing concern. Therefore, health care system needs to ensure that patient’s records are secure minimizing any violation of patient's right to privacy. This review will assess technology usage and protection of patient information and confidentiality. The paper present different views presented in various literatures supporting the need for partnership between healthcare and technology to address current issues that make it easier for malicious people to infringe on other people's privacy.
Literature Review
According to the University of Toronto (2016), a literature review is a piece of a research paper that is used to convey or show the bigger picture with regards to a particular topic by referencing other researchers' works. With regards to this particular topic, there are numerous accounts explain how information reservoirs have become vulnerable. Evidence presented by numerous research highlights challenges involved in maintaining information privacy, confidentiality and protecting patient’s data. There is no doubt that technology has improved quality care delivery, but the levels of violation have also increased.
Electronic health records are emerging as a new trend. Health information is digitalized to improve the quality of care. However, technology has come with multifarious effects regarding security, privacy, and confidentiality of patient's data. Health records systems have weak functions. That is why healthcare organizations need to pay attention to ensuring proper control measures are in place to protect patient information from misuse (Symantec, 2016).
Research reveals that few hospitals use old traditional storage to keep patient data; EHR is a wave that has improved information accessibility. However, several studies present major issues related to security, confidentiality, and privacy of electronic health information systems. In one of the studies conducted reviewing published articles, 80 percent of the articles expressed concerns about security and confidentiality as major issues to be addressed by hospital administration (Symantec, 2016). These articles state that health formation systems are vulnerable to misuse including deleting information, making changes and stealing sensitive data.
Studies reveal that most patients are not willing to share their health information if it is not for the purpose of clinical care. Electronic health records are shared among various units making it open that raise concern about patient privacy (American College of Healthcare Executives, 2016). According to patients perceptive, patients have the right to disclose a handle his personal information. Data security entails protecting personal information against adverse events like accidental loss or unauthorized access. Confidentially is the obligation of health care professional that access patient records to hold patients records in confidence American College of Healthcare Executives, 2016).
To ensure security and privacy of electronic health records, health care organizations have highlighted the importance of developing certain standards. The health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPPA) is among laws concerned with patient data protection. According to the law, it is the responsibility of the hospital to ensure that patient information is always protected and cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals. According to the HIPAA requirements, all information that a patient discloses to the doctor is confidential and should thus be maintained and protected regardless of the format of delivery or time (Experian, 2016). Patient data should never be shared in a haphazard manner, but as some experts would put it, it should be shared on the need to know basis, meaning that only a selected few should have access to patients' data and only when a need arises, while also maintaining privacy (Experian, 2016).
Ethical Considerations for Data Collection