Journal of Health & Medical Informatics

INFORMATION SECURITY AND PATIENT PRIVACY: CRUCIAL ISSUE IN HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Pinar Kilic Aksu

Technologies for information security are actively used in organizations where information is intensely used. Information security covers the entire process of protection, processing, and transmission of information within organizations. The information security process starts with a security policy designed to protect the organization’s general assets. Information security policies include rules and practices on obligations of employees, the use of security control instruments and the management of process. In healthcare management, information management systems provide the information needed at each stage of processes related to health care activities. Hospital Information Management Systems (HIMS) are an example for the use of information and communication technology in healthcare. Hospitals are complex structures where multiple functions are carried out together. As well as keeping a complete medical record, basic functions of hospital information management system can be listed as keeping financial records, using resources properly, increasing the service quality, provision of information support for important decisions for clinicians and managers. In this frame, information security and patient privacy are critical points for these functions in healthcare management.
This work is presented at 3rd International Conference on e-Health and Alternative Healthcare Innovations (E-HEALTH – 2020 Webinar) on October 12-13, 2020. The Value and Importance of Health Information Privacy Ethical health research and privacy protections both provide valuable benefits to society. Health research is vital to improving human health and health care. Protecting patients involved in research from harm and preserving their rights is essential to ethical research. The primary justification for protecting personal privacy is to protect the interests of individuals. In contrast, the primary justification for collecting personally identifiable health information for health research is to benefit society. But it is important to stress that privacy also has value at the societal level, because it permits complex activities, including research and public health activities to be carried out in ways that protect individuals’ dignity. At the same time, health research can benefit individuals, for example, when it facilitates access to new therapies, improved diagnostics, and more effective ways to prevent illness and deliver care.