The health records and information needs security and privacy so that it can only be accessed by the relevant parties. The health data in most of the time is breached in a number of ways. The first type of breach is when sensitive information of the patients is posted on the website or the social media sites. An example of data breach in health care is the disclosure of laboratory tests of the patients. This is where the public access the electronic data of the patients. The health status of an individual should not be disclosed to the public or unauthorized parties because it may result in the cases of stigmatization and discrimination of individuals. It is unethical and illegal to disclose the health results of a patient. In most cases in the health sector the laboratory report results of the patients ends up in the wrong hands.
The breach of the data relating to the results of the tests in the hospitals can be prevented by ensuring that the parties responsible for custody and safety of such results are well trained on the aspects of data information integrity. The records of the results of laboratory reports should be stored in the information systems with strong passwords and firewalls in order to prevent or minimize the chances of hacking or unauthorized access of such information (Sewell, 2013 p.443). This can also be prevented by ensuring that the persons who keeps the records have no access of the name of the patient so as to reduce chances of leakage of information to the wrong hands.
The healthcare data may also be breached in the case of disclosure of the financial details of a patient .this breach is perpetrated by the hacking of the systems in order to access the bank details of the patients or their credit card numbers. This may result in the fraud of the payment cards. This is illegal and unethical because it may result harmful effects to the individuals through loss of wealth. The privacy of individuals may also be made public by hackers. This breach of health care data may take place as a result of negligence of the health records and information officers at the health centers. This situation can only be rectified or prevented by ensuring that the financial records of the patients are protected with the help of strong passwords and limiting the access of such records to only a few health officers. The responsible officers should, therefore, be responsible for any misappropriation of such transaction details of the patients (Catalano, 2012 p.46).
Another type of healthcare data breach may be done legitimate individuals working at the clinics or health centers. The insiders may the use such data or information to their self-advantage. This is the case where the medical attendants at the health centers may fail to order the relevant drugs in order to direct the patients to their personal chemists so as to boost their own personal businesses. This can be prevented by ensuring that the workers at the health centers are trained regularly about the legal and ethical ways of handling healthcare data. This will help boost data integrity and minimize misuse.
The nurses are often associated with beaches of healthcare data. The nurses often have the first hand information from the patients therefore they may decide to manipulate or mishandle the data resulting in breaches. The nurses may also use the healthcare data fail to secure the details of the patients. This data may therefore land on the hands of wrong people. The individuals with ill motives may post the personal and private data on the social sites or websites. The student nurses should be very careful on the handling of the records and pictures of the patients because their actions may result in the breach of healthcare data (Taylor, 2011 p.24). The student nurses may end up in jail or facing heavy penalties by mishandling the healthcare data. The student nurses should know the way proper means of managing and handling data in the health centers so as to avoid breaching both the legal an ethical guidelines and standards.
The student nurses may open the electronic records of the patients but they should handle such information with due care and confidentiality. This will ensure that chances of negligence and misappropriation of patients’ information is minimized as much as possible. Closer observation of ethics of informatics by nurses will help in ensuring confidentiality of the information of the patients. The ethics of information in the health centers will enable nurses observe due care so as to minimize chances of injury of the patients by the third parties. This will also help the nurses to avoid the liabilities that may arise if they handle such information in a negligent manner. The nurses will also use the ethical regulations of information in ensuring that they protect their personal welfare as well as the welfare of the patients. Good informatics ethics serves a crucial role in ensuring the security and safety of patients.
References
Catalano, J. T. (2012). Nursing now!: Today's issues, tomorrow's trends. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Co.
Sewell, J. P., Thede, L. Q., & Thede, L. Q. (2013). Informatics and nursing: Opportunities and challenges. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Taylor, C. (2011). Fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of nursing care. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
