Response to #POST 1
The management for nurses’ compliance initiative is a sure and effective way of ensuring protection of patient information. Similar to your experience, nurses at my facility are also mandated to uphold security and privacy of patient information. In order to ensure this, audits are used frequently. As Schneeweiss, (2014) notes, it is essential to be knowledgeable of the existing rules governing patient information. Implementation of policies and regulations at the facility level can only be effectual once such knowledge is acquired. The mobile Iron app used by your organization to protect access to patient information is however a novel idea. Embracing technology to safeguard patient data is a sure way of making strides in HIT. With the capacity of controlling data remotely, your application is surely several strides ahead in mitigating challenges that come with HIT. In addition to the listed patient protection methods used by your organization however, encrypting patient data and incorporating security measures such as internet protection software may also be embraced since the risk of breaching patient data lies within and without healthcare setups as Martínez-Pérez, et al., (2015) observes.
Now that your organization has embraced the Iron man mobile app, did you know that possible breaches may occur due to hacking? Do you suppose that with such limited access, patient data can easily be manipulated and altered through such applications raising further issues on the privacy of patient data?
References
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.
Schneeweiss, S. (2014). Learning from big health care data. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(23), 2161-2163.
Response to #POST 2
As you have rightly observed, protecting patient data is an essential need in the current world where HIT has been largely embraced. Nurses also play a vital role in fulfilling this mandate. By adhering to set organizational security protocols on safeguarding patient information, nurses can play a vital role in protecting crucial patient data. Your facility has enforced remarkable ways of protecting patient data. I am particularly impressed by the use of badges to login into systems containing patient data. However, this functionality also presents a challenge in the event that a nurse loses a badge and reporting is not done promptly. This can be a potential nightmare. I believe that in order to address this challenge, embracing biometric access to patient data may be effective. Kotz, et al., (2014) documents the extensive use of biometrics in protecting patient data. Li et al., (2014) also believes that using biometric data may ensure further security of patient data. Such measures may entail retina or fingerprint requirement to access PHI. Potential loss of nurse’s cards may thus not lead to breaches in accessing patient data. Most definitely the patient charting system in use at your facility is one of great concern. By embracing technology, some of the challenges you point out such as patient data being accessible to visitors may be eliminated.
Did you know that badges that the use of badges possess a threat to the security and safety of patient data. Badges that use the magnetic strip can easily be duplicated and used to access any information from restricted areas. Do you think that you organization needs better technology to address the issues on the safety and security of PHI (patient health information)?
References
Kotz, D., Halter, R., Cornelius, C., Sorber, J., Minho, S. H. I. N., Peterson, R., & Molina- markham, A. D. (2014). U.S. Patent Application No. 14/312,316.
Li, X., Wen, Q., Li, W., Zhang, H., & Jin, Z. (2014). Secure privacy-preserving biometric authentication scheme for telecare medicine information systems. Journal of medical systems, 38(11), 139.
