Discuss the increased use of technology to gather, store, and access healthcare information and the importance of preventing data security breaches and the implication of such breaches on nurses professionally. Describe a specific and current example of a health data breach (at least one, big or small)

Discuss the increased use of technology to gather, store, and access healthcare information and the importance of preventing data security breaches and the implication of such breaches on nurses professionally. Describe a specific and current example of a health data breach (at least one, big or small)

Discuss the increased use of technology to gather, store, and access healthcare information and the importance of preventing data security breaches and the implication of such breaches on nurses professionally. Describe a specific and current example of a health data breach (at least one, big or small)

Healthcare technology refers to the elaboration of structured knowledge and skills in the form of medical devices, medicines, procedures, algorithms, artificial intelligence, vaccines, and systems to improve the quality of life, solve healthcare problems and support healthcare organizations (Dimitrov, 2019). The utilization of healthcare technology is associated with several benefits that contribute significantly to healthcare transformation. For instance, reduction in human errors, improved practice efficiencies, improvement of clinical outcomes, and facilitation of care coordination among others. This paper will explore the increased use of healthcare technology in gathering, storing, and accessing healthcare information, the importance of preventing data security breaches, and the implication of data security breaches on nurses professionally.

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Gathering, Storing, and Accessing Healthcare Information

The past few decades have been associated with the heightened utilization of technology for gathering, storing, and accessing healthcare information. This increase has seen transitioning of gathering, storage, and access of healthcare information process from paper methods to electronic health records in several healthcare organizations. An electronic health record (EHR) refers to an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that holds to nationally recognized interoperability standards and can be created, managed, and turned to by authorized clinicians across more than one healthcare organization (Dimitrov, 2019). This is the principal record for gathering, storing, and accessing healthcare information.  The increased use is related to its security and safety. For instance, EHR can only be accessed by authorized personnel which safeguards the sensitive nature of health information. Similarly, the information can easily be recorded, stored, and retrieved as opposed to the traditional paper methods. Furthermore, utilizing technology in handling healthcare information facilitates sharing of information and coordination of healthcare. Finally, electronic records are durable, less bulky, user-friendly, and difficult to interfere with (Dimitrov, 2019). They enhance patient cooperation, disease diagnosis, and practice efficiency

Importance of Preventing Data Security Breaches

Healthcare information particularly that relating to patients is very sensitive and must be protected at all costs.  Data breach generally refers to an illegal disclosure or use of the information without authorization (Dimitrov, 2019). This results in exposure of protected health information that may result from human error, security failures, and software vulnerabilities. Data security breaches are associated with devastating consequences including theft and leakage of protected health information, corruption of databases, and financial losses due to breached records. According to international business and machine cooperation, a healthcare industry breach typically costs $6.45 million (Seh et al., 2020). Additionally, the healthcare industry is targeted by attackers due to the increased price of a complete patient record file on the dark web. Consequently, strategies must be deployed to prevent data security including blockchain EHRs that conform to security standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

The implication of Data Security Breaches on Nurses

Data security breaches interfere with the reputation of nurses particularly if the breach was a result of negligence. Furthermore, data security breaches may interfere with vital medical information making it difficult for nurses to deliver proper healthcare (Seh et al., 2020). These security breaches may also lead to loss of employment, license, penalties, and other medicolegal issues. Patient safety is also jeopardized which may cause patient defecation to other healthcare facilities and practices (Kamerer & McDermott, 2020). Consequently, nurses must be at the forefront to prevent data security breaches through education, execution of password protection policies, and encryption of data among other measures. An instance of a data security breach was the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation (FHKC) that occurred in 2021where 3.5 million records were breached. This hacking incident was due to the failure of a security vendor to apply patches to fix multiple vulnerabilities on the FHKC website over 7 years.

Conclusion

Technology is a vital component of the healthcare industry. Its use in gathering, storing, and accessing health information has increased tremendously due to its overwhelming benefits when compared to paper-based systems. Healthcare information is sensitive and valuable and hence prone to data breaches. Strategies must be deployed to prevent these security breaches.

References

Dimitrov, D. V. (2019). Blockchain applications for healthcare data management. Healthcare Informatics Research, 25(1), 51–56. https://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2019.25.1.51

Kamerer, J. L., & McDermott, D. (2020). Cybersecurity: Nurses on the front line of prevention and education. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 10(4), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(20)30014-4

Seh, A. H., Zarour, M., Alenezi, M., Sarkar, A. K., Agrawal, A., Kumar, R., & Khan, R. A. (2020). Healthcare data breaches: Insights and implications. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 8(2), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8020133

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Discuss the increased use of technology to gather, store, and access healthcare information and the importance of preventing data security breaches and the implication of such breaches on nurses professionally. Describe a specific and current example of a health data breach (at least one, big or small).