Patients' health information and medical records are some of the sensitive personal information that should be protected by healthcare providers and healthcare institutions. According to the HIPAA, it is the responsibility of the caregiver to ensure that patient's information such as name, age; diagnosis, management, and prognosis are kept confidential. However, current changes in technology have made their safeguarding a challenge to the healthcare providers and institutions. The advent of electronic health records has predisposed institutions to the risk of their data being accessed by third parties. Similarly, the increased use of technological applications such as mobile phones in sharing patient information among the healthcare providers threatens their obligation to ensuring confidentiality and privacy of the patient information. Therefore, it is essential that practical and effective approaches to promoting confidentiality and privacy of patient information be embraced in health care institutions.
Over the recent past, most healthcare organizations globally have computerized their information. Computerized information such as patient records is at a risk of being accessed by unauthorized parties. Therefore, institutions should embrace specific security alongside confidentiality measures that protect the violation of the rights of patients to privacy and confidentiality of their information. One of them is strengthening the existing security measures that have been put in place to ensure safety in the stored information. Generally, most of the online computer systems rely on security systems that use user-identification passwords and names to restrict access by its users. User specific menus have also been developed to control access to the information. While these are effective, institutions should strengthen their effectiveness in promoting security and confidentiality by educating its staff, coming up with policies, and disciplining those who violate the stated provisions.
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Historically, maintenance of privacy and confidentiality of the patient information has been protected with the use of two key sources. They include the ethical obligations of the healthcare provider to ensure privacy and confidentiality of medical information, and the legal right to confidentiality and privacy in health care information. Therefore, while the healthcare providers are aware of their ethical obligations, institutions should take the responsibility of creating and heightening awareness among them. In specific, they should provide continuous training to them on issues related to privacy and confidentiality as a way of building capacity among them. They should also issue privacy and confidentiality policy statements that outline clearly all of their expected behaviors and consequences of violating them. In some cases, healthcare providers might be in a dilemma to either protect or disclose patient information to third parties such as significant others related to the patient. Thus, the institution must come up with mechanisms that guide the disclosure of health information to other parties. For example, it should develop policies that advocate the active involvement of the patient in making decisions related to his or her medical information.
According to HIPAA Privacy Rules, healthcare institutions should perform a periodic audit of the adopted security measures to determine organizational vulnerability to data access by unauthorized parties. This should be part of the institutional activity as it endeavors to ensure privacy and confidentiality since it allows for the adoption of effective security measures that promotes the integrity of the health information. Besides, institutions should come up with systems that track the use, health information access and disclosure that are considered subject to accounting ( Schwab, Gelfman, & Tirozzi, 2005) . This is applicable to situations where there is electronic sharing of medical information between healthcare providers or institutions for decision-making. Therefore, if these are implemented, privacy and confidentiality issues in an institution are eliminated, hence, the provision of care that meet the healthcare needs of the patients, their families, and community as a whole.
References
Schwab, N., Gelfman, M. H. B., & Tirozzi, G. N. (2005). Legal issues in school health services: A resource for school administrators, school attorneys, school nurses . New York: Authors Choice Press.
