Security of Healthcare Records Essay

Nurses play an important role in ensuring that information found in patients' records are protected from breach since, as Ma, Kuo, and Alexander (2016) observe, as part of their daily routines, nurses are involved in the collection and dissemination of patient information which is confidential in nature. One of the main responsibilities of a nurse in protecting patient information is by securing the privacy and confidentiality of health information belonging to their patients contained in the electronic medical records (EMRs). According to Ma, Kuo, and Alexander (2016), nurses should safeguard patients' information by not inappropriately disclosing such information to unauthorized third parties. However, despite the benefits of health information technology (HIT) such as enhancing quality and reducing costs of healthcare, it has made it difficult to protect patient information by exposing such information to misuse.

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According to Ozair, Jamshed, Sharma, and Aggarwal (2015), some of the ethical and security issues relating to the use of portable devices to store patient information include confidentiality, consent, and privacy concerns, integrity and availability, potential privacy and security breaches, ownership of protected health information, and unauthorized access to information. The use of these electronic devices raises thorny security and ethical issues since they expose patient information to a virtual information platform where it is vulnerable to unauthorized access. Due to the confidential nature of the information stored in the EMRs, nurses can sometimes find themselves in situations whereby they have to choose between upholding their professional responsibilities and accessing crucial information necessary for the effective performance of their roles.

As Taitsman, Grimm, and Aggarwal (2013) observe, healthcare organizations can safeguard patient information by ensuring it, installing encryption, ensuring physical control of mobile devices. The strategies that my organization uses in safeguarding patient information include setting rules for disciplining violations of rules against misuse of patient information, the adopting formal policies for preventing and detecting violations and establishing information security and confidentiality policies for protecting sensitive patient information. These strategies promote a culture of safety by ensuring that every member of the organization is aware of the sensitive, private, and confidential nature of information relating to patients' health and hence the need to protect it. These strategies also help in reinforcing the legal and ethical responsibilities of all members of the organization under Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA).

Conclusion

However, an area which needs improvement relates to use of communication devices like phones by the organization's staff while on duty as this makes it possible for them to attempt to disclose patient information to third parties with little or no detection and monitoring. One strategy that could address this problem is the use of specific organizational policies on social media and electronic gadgets among staff or the adoption of monitoring mechanisms.

References

Ma, C., Kuo, K., & Alexander, J.W. (2016). A survey-based study of factors that motivate nurses to protect the privacy of electronic medical records. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 16 (13). doi: 10.1186/s12911-016-0254-y

Ozair, F.F., Jamshed, N., Sharma, A., & Aggarwal, P. (2015). Ethical issues in electronic healthrecords: A general overview. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 6(2), 73-76

Taitsman, J.K., Grimm, C.M., & Aggarwal, S. (2013). Protecting patient privacy and datasecurity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 368, 977-979