Week 10 discussion

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With the increase of health information technology used to
store and access patient information, the likelihood of security breaches has
also risen. In fact, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal
(CMAJ):
In the United States, there was a whopping 97% increase in
the number of health records breached from 2010 to 2011. The number of patient
records accessed in each breach has also increased substantially, from 26,968
(in 2010) to 49,394 (in 2011). Since August 2009, when the US government
regulated that any breach affecting more than 500 patients be publicly
disclosed, a total of 385 breaches, involving more than 19 million records,
have been reported to the Department of Health and Human Services.
A large portion of those breaches, 39%, occurred because of
a lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised portable electronic device—a problem
that will likely only get worse as iPads, smartphones, and other gadgets become
more common in hospitals. (CMAJ, 2012, p. E215).
Consider your own experiences. Does your organization use
portable electronic devices? What safeguards are in place to ensure the
security of data and patient information? For this Discussion you consider
ethical and security issues surrounding the protection of digital health
information.

Week 10 discussion

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To prepare:

Review the Learning Resources dealing with the security of
digital health care information. Reflect on your own organization or one with
which you are familiar, and think about how health information stored
electronically is protected.
Consider the nurse’s responsibility to ensure the protection
of patient information. What strategies can you use?
Reflect on ethical issues that are likely to arise with the
increased access to newer, smaller, and more powerful technology tools.
Consider strategies that can be implemented to ensure that
the use of HIT contributes to an overall culture of safety.
By Day

Post an analysis of the nurse’s responsibility to protect
patient information and the extent that HIT has made it easier or more
difficult to protect patient privacy. Comment on any security or ethical issues
related to the use of portable devices to store information. Assess the
strategies your organization uses to safeguard patient information and how
these promote a culture of safety. Describe an area where improvement is needed
and one strategy that could address the situation.