Despite the concerns generated by the digital paradigm shift, the key values of privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, and non-maleficence still can provide a framework for decision making in the context of health information technology.

Security of Health Care Records

Week 10: Ethical and Security Issues of HIT Recent headlines have covered a rash of security breaches at companies around the globe. Millions of customers and clients have had their information stolen by hackers or lost through careless data handling. With the push for switching medical records from paper to digital, people have expressed concerns about the safety and security of this information. How much faith can patients put into a health care provider’s commitment to privacy, ethical standards, and careful protection of health care information? The transition to digital communication presents ethical and security issues never before encountered. Despite the concerns generated by the digital paradigm shift, the key values of privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, and non-maleficence still can provide a framework for decision making in the context of health information technology. The question that health care professionals encounter when contemplating HIT is how well these ethical and security frameworks withstand the test of time as privacy and security issues grow more complex. This week you explore the ethical and security issues that nurses need to be aware of when working with sensitive, private information. You also appraise strategies for ensuring the security of patient information. Learning Objectives Students will: Analyze the responsibility of nurses to protect patient information Appraise strategies for ensuring the appropriate use of technology that facilitates the security of patient information Photo Credit: [nullplus]/[E+]/Getty Images Learning Resources Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus. Required Readings McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Chapter 5, “Ethical Applications of Informatics” This chapter examines the ethical dilemmas that arise in nursing informatics. The authors explore the responsibilities for the ethical use of health information technology. Review Chapter 21, “Nursing Research: Data Collection, Processing, and Analysis” (pp. 468-470) In this section, the author explains information fair use and copyright restrictions. The section describes processes for ensuring the security of a computer network. Brown, B. (2009a). Improving the privacy and security of personal health records. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 11(2), 39–40, 68. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.