HSH702 Health Issues | Patients Privacy and Confidentiality
The HHS Office for Civil Rights administers the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. The HIPAA Privacy Rule describes protected health information and how protected information can be used and disclosed. The HIPAA Security Rule describes what is covered by the HIPAA privacy protections and the safeguards, which must be in place to ensure appropriate protection of electronic protected health information.
As you reflect on the Privacy and Confidentiality Scenario , consider the following points and write a proposal addressing privacy issues:
- Identify the issues related to patient privacy and confidentiality in this scenario.
- Describe strategies your organization (or one with which you are familiar) might use to safeguard patient information from the use of mobile devices.
- Discuss the use of mobile devices for patient care in your organization (or one with which you are familiar) and any organizational policies related to mobile devices. Specifically, address the use of text messages to communicate patient care information and explain what happens to a message after it is sent.
- Analyze your personal strategies used to protect patient health information on mobile devices.
- Do your personal strategies adequately protect information in a patient care setting?
- Provide examples of alternate or additional methods that could be used to insure patient privacy and confidentiality is maintained.
Answer:
Issues related to patients privacy and confidentiality
With the rapid adoption of electronic healthcare record systems, patient’s privacy and confidentiality have been tampered with. This system brings issues like the legislation gaps. Legislations like HIPAA and the HITECH Act. This legislation excludes patient from their health information which is covered by HIPAA which they are not always comfortable with (Braun, Vance & Alexander, 2015). Lack of patient’s trust is another major issue which is facing privacy and confidentiality. Lack of patient trust may contribute to adverse health results. This happens because patients are afraid of disclosing significant information which may have severe consequences (Martínez-Pérez, De La Torre-Díez & López-Coronado, 2015). A scenario like a young person who is suffering from sexually transmitted infections and is worried about seeking medical attention because he/she is afraid of been judged can lead to their health deterioration. Another scenario which occurs mostly in health sector involves naive healthcare workers sharing confidential information about patients.
Strategies which safeguard patient information
Organizations can use some strategies to ensure that the patient’s information is protected. The organization needs to know where it patient’s data is saved, who can have access to it and what form they are stored in if they are encrypted or not (Ozair, Jamshed, Sharma & Aggarwal, 2015). An organization leadership should engage in training aimed at ensuring that information and data are saved safely. Hospitals and other healthcare sectors need to take a proactive stance when it comes to the protection of patient’s data and information.
Describe the use of mobile devices for patient care in organizations
Mobile devices help in enhancing the efficiency of physicians. This happens because the physician can carry them anywhere and be able to access patient’s data and information any time they need it to make correct medical decisions which help in the improvement of the patient’s health. With the use of old technique healthcare professionals spends most of their time keeping records and thus they do not have enough time to attend patients (Braun, Vance & Alexander, 2015). With the use of electronic health record which are mobile it more accessible to keep the patient records and physicians can create enough time for patients.
My strategy which I suggest to be added in the healthcare system to protect patient’s information is the use of mobile applications like apple health records which ensure that patient’s data and the information is safely stored in the mobile phone (Ozair et al., 2015). A patient who owns an apple phone can be in a position to access their medical records to ensure that what is saved there is accurate. Use of mobile applications strategy is an effective way of providing that privacy and confidentiality of an individual are not disclosed to another party without their knowledge (Martínez-Pérez, De La Torre-Díez & López-Coronado, 2015). A patient can review what is expected of them from this records and thus been able to take their medications and treatments appropriately.
References
Braun, C. K., Vance, A., & Alexander, E. C. (2015). Managing Patient Confidentiality Issues in Rural American Hospitals: Dealing with HIPAA in Central Appalachia. Ethics & Critical Thinking Journal, 2015(2).
Martínez-Pérez, B., De La Torre-Díez, I., & López-Coronado, M. (2015). Privacy and security in mobile health apps: a review and recommendations. Journal of medical systems, 39(1), 181.
Ozair, F. F., Jamshed, N., Sharma, A., & Aggarwal, P. (2015). Ethical issues in electronic health records: a general overview. Perspectives in clinical research, 6(2), 73.
