Health professionals today are increasingly accountable for the use of protected health information (PHI). Various government and regulatory agencies promote and support privacy and security through a variety of activities.
Professional Context
Health professionals today are increasingly accountable for the use of protected health information (PHI). Various government and regulatory agencies promote and support privacy and security through a variety of activities. Examples include:
Meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR).
• Provision of EHR incentive programs through Medicare and Medicaid. .
• Enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules. Release of educational resources and tools to help providers and hospitals address
privacy, security, and confidentiality risks in their practices.
Technological advances, such as the use of social media platforms and applications for patient progress tracking and communication, have provided more access to health information and improved communication between care providers and patients.
At the same time, advances such as these have resulted in more risk for protecting PHI.
Nurses typically receive annual training on protecting patient information in their everyday
practice. This training usually emphasizes privacy, security, and confidentiality best practices
such as:
• Keeping passwords secure.
• Logging out of public computers.
• Sharing patient information only with those directly providing care or who have been
granted permission to receive this information.
Today, one of the major risks associated with privacy and confidentiality of patient identity and data relates to social media. Many nurses and other health care providers place themselves at risk when they use social media or other electronic communication systems inappropriately. For example, a Texas nurse was recently terminated for posting patient vaccination information on Facebook. In another case, a New York nurse was terminated for posting an insensitive emergency department photo on her Instagram account.
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