In the recent years, numerous individuals have gained awareness concerning the existence of biometrics security approaches. Whereas biometrics was initially perceived as being in the science fiction realm, the technology plays an essential role in major industries, such as banking, while the health care sector is increasingly adopting it with the goal of meeting the dual physical and data security. Numerous concerns have emerged over the issue of security and privacy associated with health records (Agarwal, 2018) . Biometrics advancements have facilitated innovation in safeguarding health records. The absence of safeguards for patient identity poses various challenges for providers and patients. Patients serve as identity theft victims in the medical environment to an extent that the records feature claims and data not belonging to patients, hence jeopardizing their future treatments as well as financial wellbeing. Utilization of biometrics has grown as a way of safeguarding EHR (electronic health record) (IriTech, 2015) . This makes it possible to introduce new systems that combine people’s personal history and physical characteristic to facilitate in the generation of unique records that can assist in minimizing frauds and boosting security in healthcare.
Health insurance and healthcare sectors are also reliant on biometrics to allow them identify patients. Blood banks are commencing utilizing donors’ fingerprint scans to ensure that they abide by federal regulations, which demand positive donation identification. Furthermore, biometrics is being used in various health situations, including identifying healthcare staff. Certain healthcare establishments incorporate biometrics to EHR systems, which authorize administrative and clinical staff to access records of the patients. With the diverse changes taking place in the healthcare sector, mostly because of the changes offering in technology for managing medical records, the approaches for identifying patients have started following suit (Agarwal, 2018) . The scale and capability of biometrics concerning identification of patients eradicates any threats attributed to misidentification, forgery, and record safety. Utilizing biometrics in the healthcare setting has influenced EHR security tremendously, while it keeps affecting ways of offering healthcare. Means of identification utilized in recognizing patients and authenticating staff to access data is capable of boosting the overall confidentiality and security of patient data (IriTech, 2015) . The paper revolves around the various definitions of biometrics, the challenges of having a word being utilized for multiple meanings in healthcare industry, and recommendations that the industry needs to adopt to prevent confusion.
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Definitions of Biometrics
To understand the reasons as to why biometrics poses challenges in understanding its context, it is essential to define what it entails. The term biometric originates from Greek words, including bio as well as metric. Bio entails life, while metric means to measure. Biometrics serve as approaches utilized in identifying behavior and physical traits of individuals. The approach serves as ideal compared to conventional methods, such as passwords and PIN numbers due to its case sensitiveness and accuracy (Agarwal, 2018) . Depending on design, the system can serve as an authentication or identification system. The systems comprise of distinct types, including fingerprints, vein pattern, DNA, hand geometry, iris pattern, voice patter, face dete ction, and signature dynamics (IriTech, 2015) . When it comes to the healthcare sector, biometrics revolves around patient identification and staff identification solutions. Often, the biometrics is utilized together with smart cards and passwords to assist in securing sensitive records belonging to patients and helping patients in registration processes (Aware, 2018) . Recent research reveals that utilization of biometrics will keep rising due to increasing demand for means of preventing fraud in the healthcare sector. Biometrics will continue realizing transformations due to the need for improving the safety of patients and their privacy (Mitra & Gofman, 2016) . Nonetheless, even with the various benefits that biometrics promises to offer, most individuals do not understand how it works, while others fear that it has the potential of affecting their overall health wellbeing.
For instance, the healthcare biometrics serves as one area that confuses individuals. Healthcare biometrics refers to the diverse biometric applications in hospitals, officers of doctors or for the purposes of monitoring patients (Gemalto, 2018) . These might comprise of identification, access control, management of the workforce, and storing of patients’ records (Management Association, 2013) . In this area, biometrics takes two major forms, including offering solutions for identifying patients and access to resources. Most healthcare institutions and hospitals presently implement biometric security systems (Cidon, 2018) . Secure identification plays an essential role in the sector in terms of regulating access to centralized data of patients and hindering physical access to hospital wards and buildings, as well as authenticating social and medical support staff.
In addition, it is becoming increasingly essential to identify patients with increased certainty. Solutions for identity verification revolving around biometric technology have the capacity of offering identity authentication and assurance, hence reducing cases of fraud in healthcare, while boosting levels of security and privacy (King, 2018) . Biometric technology also contributes to operational efficiencies in healthcare systems, which minimize fraud and costs, while increasing satisfaction of patients through minimizing medical errors (Jiang, Al-maadeed, Bouridane, Crookes, & Beghdadi, 2016) . With the growing utilization of PHRs (personal health records) and EHRs, biometrics is serving as authentication approaches for both insurers and medical institutions. For example, the federal legislation of the United States, particularly the Health Insurance and Accountability Act, requires keeping of patients’ records after being accessed each time. Biometrics allows medical experts to undertake this task easily by utilizing biometric identifiers, which are recorded digitally and automatically every time they open a medical record (Kisku, Gupta, & Sing, 2013) . Thus, various manufacturers of biometric equipment as well as service providers provide turnkey applications, which are responsible for tracking and maintaining EHR access.
For these kinds of applications, referred to as “access to resource,” they comprise of secured protocols, for authentication for logging in to IT applications in medical settings. They also offer access to control applications and modalities. The benefit attributed to these kinds of applications is that they hinder administrative penalties and fines attributed to access private medical information of patients without authorization (Iqbal, 2012) . The applications also combine top security features with convenience while eradicating the costly processes attributed to supporting passwords. Utilizing biometric authentication and tools offer healthcare facilities options for broadening physical control over accessing laboratories and cabinets (Kisku, Gupta, & Sing, 2013) . Additionally, the systems assist in streamlining of workflow by incorporating sigh-off capabilities for patient medication, diagnostic reports, treatments, and capturing data for trying out pharmaceutical trials.
Moreover, the medical biometrics concept that exists in biometrics technology also creates confusion regarding its usage and the manner in which it works in the healthcare setting. In contrast to healthcare biometrics, medical biometrics refers to personal medical data, which comprise of biorhythm records, and digital images. This form of data is generated in ever-growing quantities, while it is utilized for therapy and diagnostic purposes. However, the term creates confusion mostly because consumers lack awareness of it works (Jiang, Al-maadeed, Bouridane, Crookes, & Beghdadi, 2016) . For research carried out on medical biometrics, it targets utilizing personal sets of medical data, including images as well as signals that are possible to measure biologically, to facilitate in addressing medical issues and offering top-quality services in the healthcare environment.
In the event of the medical biometric systems, they normally merge numerous technologies from fields of medicine, biology, statistics, consumer electronics, as well as ubiquitous computing with the goal of developing systems that offer computer assisted therapy and diagnosis. Previously, those kinds of systems were significantly expensive, while they only operated in medical facilities. Increasingly, however, these kinds of systems have become miniaturized as well as incorporated into wearable technologies, including headbands, bracelets, and watches (Gemalto, 2018) . The gadgets have the capacity of offering medical diagnostic data via cloud applications connected to the Internet in the near future.
Prior research reveals that the coming consumer electronics generation with emphasize on measuring biorhythms. Biorhythms refer to life rhythms, which comprise of vital functional of the body, such as blood pressure and heart rate. In the case of medical chronobiologists, they have realized that it is possible for biologic rhythms to influence the severity of illness symptoms, results of diagnostic tests, as well as how the body responds to drug therapy (King, 2018) . Presently, the researchers are working on ways in which they can measure ways of monitoring life rhythms via micro-technology with the goal of improving the health and medicine practice (Management Association, 2013) . These initiatives have led to the development of wearable as well as ingestible sensors, which companies, including BodyMedia and Proteus Digital have developed. It is expected that the coming phase in technical revolution will entail biomedical sensors, which will have the ability of recording and monitoring biorhythms inside the body (Mitra & Gofman, 2016) . In this perspective, therefore, the different aspects of biometrics seem to confuse indiv iduals, mostly because of their diverse usages in line with the emerging applications, which most of them do not understand. As such, various challenges have emerged on having the biometrics word utilized for different meanings within the healthcare sector.
Challenges of Biometrics’ Multiple Meanings Usage in Healthcare
Various challenges have emerged due to the biometrics word being utilized for multiple meanings in the healthcare sector. For the biometrics systems, they normally assume as well as need a close relationship between individuals and the technologies, which are responsible for gathering and recording behavioral traits and biological traits of people (Gemalto, 2018) . In this case, it becomes obligatory for the individuals responsible for conceiving, designing, and implementing the biometric systems to ensure they lay emphasis on the social, cultural, as well as legal aspects of the systems (National Academy of Sciences, 2010) . Failure to consider these issues and not attending to the social influences lead their efficacy to diminish, while serious and unexpected repercussions result.
The major challenge associated with the understanding of biometrics revolves around the apparently irreversible connection between biometric characteristics as well as recording information of a person on a persistent basis. As opposed to other recognition forms, biometric approaches usually target people’s physical bodies. The tight connection prevailing between biometrics and personal records can result to both negative and positive repercussions for persons and the broader society (Mitra & Gofman, 2016) . In the event of benefits, such as improved security, convenience, and reduction of fraud, which are attributed to utilizing biometrics, they might flow to certain companies, people, and societies, while they might be accomplished at other people’s expense (Agarwal, 2018) . In this vein, regarding those who realize benefits at the expense of others together with the relative balance that prevails between benefits and drawbacks might affect biometrics deployment.
The social, cultural, and legal considerations shaping the manner in which individuals understand and relate with biometric systems might influence their efficiency. The deliberate choices that people make on ways of engaging with the technology as well as their unintentional activities influence the performance of the systems (Kisku, Gupta, & Sing, 2013) . For instance, certain individuals might opt to refrain from placing their fingers on fingerprint scanners, arguing that they might contract illnesses. Similarly, some persons might refrain from having their pictures taken to facilitate in face recognition due to concerns regarding how the pictures would be utilized (Management Association, 2013) . In these kinds of instances, the performance of the systems would be compromised.
When it comes to the biometric system’s proportionality, including its necessity, suitability, as well as appropriateness, in certain contexts, they would influence acceptability of the system tremendously. The impact of the society toward these systems would differ based on their purpose and type (Cidon, 2018) . For instance, utilizing iris scanning for regulating access to nearby gyms or fingerprint scanning to identify suspected terrorists would differ in the event of the broader society as well as the persons being scanned (Kisku, Gupta, & Sing, 2013) . The probable influences on certain social groups, and hence their receptions would differ tremendously because of the differences that prevail in terms of how groups interpret values, cultural beliefs, and certain behaviors. In addition, instituting requirements for facial recognition to entering the workplace or a store would limit the existing work options among individuals who perceive face photographs in appropriate (Agarwal, 2018) . These would end up creating barriers when it comes to social activities.
In general, the willingness of individuals to take part in a system as well as their commitment to it revolves around how they understand the benefits that it offers. For instance, a biometric system making it possible to access the workplace conveniently might be regarded as helping the people, since it would relieve them the task of having to carry their ID. By contrast, in case a biometric system usually tracks the employees’ daytime movements, it would be advantageous to the employer, while interfering with the personal freedom of the workforce (Gemalto, 2018) . In various cases, ancillary incentives, including monetary rewards, might play a critical role in realizing the needed participation level.
It is also possible to motivate participation via chances of negative repercussions due to nonparticipation. For example, restricting access to services and locations, using lengthy processes in routine activities, and legal action threats for enrolling in biometric systems might impose pressure to individuals (King, 2018) . Furthermore, it is possible to influence willingness for participating when concerns arise that using the system might shift with time, such as being less benign. For instance, a system might be initially implemented with the goal of permitting the workforce to access the workplace, while it might be utilized in tracking attendance afterwards (Iqbal, 2012) . These forms of concerns result to a need for clear documentation on ways of using the system and safeguards needed to make sure that it not would be utilized for unsupported purposes. Moreover, willingness for supporting biometric support might revolve around issues of physical contact and privacy. Since biometric systems rely on physical linkages with persons, well as utilized for social services, law enforcement, and national security, among others, it would be vital to address various societal issues before deploying these systems (Aware, 2018) . Thus, the different meanings and purposes that biometrics purposes play have significant influence in healthcare and other aspects of life.
Industry Recommendations for Preventing Confusion
Within the healthcare industry, biometrics are becoming increasingly used together with smart cards and passwords with the goal of securing confidential patient records, helping in registration of patients, and facilitating authenticated access among other roles. The utilization of these systems is expected to continue growing in the overall global healthcare industry to assist in combatting fraud in insurance companies, healthcare sectors, and government programs. In this vein, because fraud and efficiency appear to be overriding concerns among healthcare professionals and patients, it is crucial to increase investment in creating awareness concerning the important roles that these technologies play in the healthcare industry. The investments in awareness creation should mostly revolve around clinics, hospitals, as well as other facilities (National Academy of Sciences, 2010) . In this manner, it will be possible to realize widespread acceptance of the biometrics systems in the diverse areas of the health sector together with increased understanding among patients regarding the vital role the technologies play today and in the coming years.
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