Privacy and Security
Many health care consumers now wonder whether their personal health information (PHI) is being properly safeguarded and utilized. And increasing numbers of concerned citizens are beginning to understand the impact of computerized health records on the situation. A 2005 survey of 1000 adults showed that 42% of respondents were very concerned that computerized records would cause more sharing of their medical information without their knowledge
(http://www.pandab.org/Healthtopline.pdf accessed August 8, 2005).
Current encryption and authentication methods can provide a significant improvement over the level of security afforded paper-based records. Though no encryption scheme is impervious to a security breach, there are many options to decrease risk to negligible levels. Smart cards, hardware keys, and biometric identifiers are some means of increasing data security for health records.
Informatics nurses should advocate for patient privacy while performing their many roles with technology in the health care system. It is important to adopt privacy-protection practices and remain informed about privacy legislative and regulatory changes. Legislation and regulations change yearly, and new security technologies emerge at an even faster pace.