Challenges in keeping Patients’ Information safe
The health care system has experienced significant development in terms of technology. The advancement in technology has brought changes in the record management systems in a bid to make record keeping effective and easily manageable. However, the developments have brought into board new challenges that have been associated with the safety of patient records. Privacy and confidentiality is a right that has to be enjoyed unconditionally by patients, and thus health facilities have been tasked to ensure that the patients experience this right. The case has however been different since the health care facilities have been facing challenges that make the operation of the health care facilities difficult. Cybersecurity concerns, lawsuits due to privacy breaches, and an increase in the cost of maintaining safety measures are the most recent challenges to face the health-care information management system.
The development in technology has brought with it digital systems of data storage and management. Several health facilities have been gradually moving the manual filing systems that are said to be bulky and space-consuming (Elkhodr, Shahrestani, & Cheung, 2016). However, the digital information management approach has come along with the severe threat of cybercrime. Unauthorized persons have in various occurrences accessed the information of patients either through system hacking, or careless handling of passwords. Some patients may have crucial details needed by secret organizations, and once that information is availed to the health facilities, interested parties could illegally access such information easily than would be the case if the information was stored using the manual filing system (Toshniwal, Dastidar & Nath, 2015). The challenge posed by the cybersecurity threat is so great that several health facilities have preferred to use the manual filing system instead of incurring the costs that would come in case of a breach. A cybersecurity threat has not been the only threat facing the health care system; the lawsuits that come along in claims of breach are a burden to several facilities.
The right to privacy gives patients the authority to sue health facilities in the event of a privacy breach. The fines paid to individuals due to lawsuits are significantly high for the health care facilities to manage. Health care facilities are therefore forced to pay significant costs to put in place security measures that can help to minimize or do away with the threat posed by cybercrime. The measures could include the installation or development of security software, or even training employees on proper management of passwords and customer information (Singh & Sittig 2016). All the security measures come with additional costs, and the health care facilities face the challenge of settling the expenses. In the events where the health facilities fail to take into consideration the safety measures and customer’s information lands into unauthorized hands, lawsuits could follow, and the facilities could be forced to pay heavy taxes. Health care facilities still face significant challenges in ensuring that security measures are applied. For example, providing that individuals keep passwords safely could be a real challenge. Also, some safety software could require additional training, hence other costs.
In sum, the development of technology has brought about new challenges in the health sector. The problems are associated with information storage and management. The challenges faced include the cybersecurity threat and the costs that are incurred in ensuring the safety of clients’ information. Generally, the challenges that face the health care facilities in maintaining the safety of clients’ information end up raising the cost of operation.