NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2 Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality

NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2

Review HIPAA, protected health information (PHI), and requirements for privacy and confidentiality in EHRs. Discuss one ethical and one legal issue related to the use of EHRs that directly impact advanced registered nursing practice. Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality.

Re: Topic 7 DQ 2

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and protected health information are applicable to electronic health records (EHR). The patient has a right to privacy in regard to all their health care information (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights, n.d.). This information must only be shared with authorized personnel who provide direct care to the patient. EHRs use data encryption and security measures to protect this data. The user has a password to access the system.

If patient portals are in use, the patient can access using PINs or passwords. All information contained in an EHR is to be used for the purposes of patient care or data aggregation to improve patient outcomes (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights, n.d.). It is the legal obligation of a facility or provider to notify patients of any data breaches and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

EHR documentation can be time-consuming for an advanced practice nurse. This may have an effect on the nursing-patient relationship. In order for cooperation and collaboration to result in positive health outcomes for the patient, the patient must be able to establish a rapport with the nurse (McBride et al., 2018). When a clinical decision support system is needed in a specific patient population, the advanced practice nurse creates a legal situation in which the patient suffers harm.

An example is a patient with a history of heart failure who arrives at the emergency room with a diagnosis of possible sepsis based on a CDSS symptom recognition pattern. The patient had a CHF exacerbation based on the history and further evaluation (McBride et al., 2018). The EHR will continue to detect sepsis and prioritize sepsis management orders. If these order sets were followed, the patient’s health would suffer. Nurse educators must understand and teach these concepts to their students.

HIPAA violations result in fines, prison time, or both. I would protect patients’ privacy by not discussing PHI in public places. This entails creating a private area where patients and families can speak without being overheard. When I am not present, the EHR must be locked. To obtain information in person or over the phone, family members must provide the PIN or code required. Unless there is a legal document granting an individual power of attorney for health care, the patient must clearly state who he or she wants his or her information shared with.

References

McBride, S., Tietze, M., Robichaux, C., Stokes, L., & Weber, E. (2018). Identifying and addressing ethical issues with use of electronic health records. Online Journal of Issue in Nursing, 23(1). https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No1-Jan-2018/Identifying-and-Addressing-Ethical-Issues-EHR.html#McBride7

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights. (n.d.). Privacy, security, and electronic health records. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/privacy-security-electronic-records.pdf.

health information are applicable to the EHR. The main objective of the EHR system is to enhance the management of patient’s data. As a result, there is always the need for healthcare professionals or users to adhere to the privacy policies or confidentiality of information (McBride et al., 2018). Enhancing the confidentiality of information is one of the ethical concerns often observed by healthcare professionals when using an EHR system. The confidentiality of information can be achieved through integrating effective mechanisms to enhance the security of data (Iyengar et al., 2018). Putting security measures such as passwords is one of the main methods that can be used to enhance the confidentiality of information.

Also, encryption processes can be undertaken to prevent unauthorized access of patient’s data by third parties or strangers. Additionally, adherence to the HIPAA policies is critical in ensuring the maintenance of data security. NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2 Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2 Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality

References

Iyengar, A., Kundu, A., & Pallis, G. (2018). Healthcare informatics and privacy. IEEE Internet Computing, 22(2), 29-31. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8345561

Re: Topic 7 DQ 2

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that patient health information is protected and secure at all times. The regulations that are in place by HIPAA have an effect on healthcare institutions willingness to share data with other institutions (DeNisco & Baker, 2016). The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is different from an Electronic Health Record (HER) because the information it contains is intended to be shared. While both the EMR and her contain protected health information (PHI), an EHRs purpose is to be shared among physicians and hospitals when needed.

Unfortunately, sharing this PHI becomes a challenge. Hospitals in particular, “face a “catch-22” situation in responding to the conflicting mandates of developing electronic health records that information sharing across institutions versus ensuring absolute protection and security of patients’ individual health information” (Sarrico & Hauenstein, 2011). NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2 Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality

An ethical issue related to HIPAA and the sharing of information through EHRs is sharing information in emergency situations. There are times in the ER when information is crucial for the care of critically ill patients. Is it ethically right to access NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2 Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality

RESPOND HERE (150 WORDS, 2 REFERENCES)

This is insightful, Camille; the application or electronic health record system is associated with different legal and ethical practices that ought to be observed. As a result, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and protected

health information are applicable to the EHR. The main objective of the EHR system is to enhance the management of patient’s data. As a result, there is always the need for healthcare professionals or users to adhere to the privacy policies or confidentiality of information (McBride et al., 2018). Enhancing the confidentiality of information is one of the ethical concerns often observed by healthcare professionals when using an EHR system.NUR 514 Topic 7 DQ 2 Discuss possible consequences for compromising patient data and measures you can implement in your own practice to protect patient privacy and confidentiality

The confidentiality of information can be achieved through integrating effective mechanisms to enhance the security of data (Iyengar et al., 2018). Putting security measures such as passwords is one of the main methods that can be used to enhance the confidentiality of information. Also, encryption processes can be undertaken to prevent unauthorized access of patient’s data by third parties or strangers. Additionally, adherence to the HIPAA policies is critical in ensuring the maintenance of data security.

Re: Topic 7 DQ 2

While both the EMR and her contain protected health information (PHI), an EHRs purpose is to be shared among physicians and hospitals when needed. Unfortunately, sharing this PHI becomes a challenge. Hospitals in particular, “face a “catch-22” situation in responding to the conflicting mandates of developing electronic health records that information sharing across institutions versus ensuring absolute protection and security of patients’ individual health information” (Sarrico & Hauenstein, 2011).

Electronic health records (EHR) provide many benefits but do have limitations and offer challenges to legal and ethical practices of the advance nurse. One convenience that has ethical implications is cutting and pasting notes in the patient’s chart. The EHR facilitates the practice of cutting and pasting, this is convenient way to update patient charts but does come with an inherent risk of transferring inaccurate information (Bendix, J., 2019). It is the responsibility of the individual who is doing the documentation that it accurately reflects the patient’s condition.

By cutting and pasting it is possible to continue to document in error. It is always a best practice to chart your own assessment. Protecting the private health information that is in the EHR would have legal implications. One way to protect the EHR is the practice of authentication. Authentication is an attestation the records are genuine, allowing a link to be established with the author of the note (The American Health Information Management Association, 2022). This provides accountability for the patient, knowing exactly who has been charting their record.

In order to utilize the available technological resources in health care responsibly one must be mindful of the environment in which we practice. In my practice to protect the patient’s medical information I work in an individual workspace. I also receive verbal consent by the patient prior to sharing the information with other specialty groups. The job to protect private patient information is the duty of the health care team. It is concerning that technology is evolving so quickly, with this evolution we need to ensure safety measures can keep up.

References

Bendix, J., (2019). ACP 2019: Overcoming the ethical challenges of EHR. Retrieved from: https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/acp-2019-overcoming-ethical-challenges-ehrs

The American Health Information Management Association, (2022). Legal Process and Electronic Health Records. Retrieved from: https://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=59559#.Y8Ypby-B1QI

The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a law that governs the use, confidentiality, and availability of patients protected health information (PHI). HIPAAs goal is to reduce the use of PHI to those with a “need to know “ and to “penalize those who do not comply with confidentiality regulations”(Edemekong, 2022). It is extremely important for healthcare professionals to not only understand the need and vitality of HIPAA but to ensure that PHI remains confidential. Due to the confidentiality issues of PHI, there are some ethical and legal issues for nurses to take into account.

The breach of patient confidentiality is the largest ethical concern associated with HIPAA. “With the growth of information sharing, it became increasingly evident that existing means of transactions and systems were not ensuring privacy and confidentiality”(DeNisco, 2024). While the efficiency associated with electronic health records is useful for healthcare providers when attempting to access their patients information, it does raise the risk for others to access that data for their own personal gain, rather than the goals of the patient. This breach in patient health information shatters the trust between patient and advanced practice nurse which causes ethical issues as well as legal issues due to the violation of HIPAA. When security measures are not upheld and patient information is leaked, the violators of the security breach are responsible for severe penalties and fines. The loss of security with PHI impacts not only the patients but also the advanced practice nurse and the organization.

With the rise in telehealth, advanced practice nurses need to be aware and more vigilant with vulnerabilities and safeguarding the PHI. The risk increases when transmitting PHI on digital platforms when using telehealth but safety measures can be taken to reduce the risk of PHI loss. Using proper encryption technologies, regular audits, staff education on privacy protocols, as well as strict authentication policies helps reduce the risk of HIPAA violations. As technology continues to evolve and change, advanced practice nurses will identify new vulnerabilities to PHI and adjust how they protect patient health information to uphold the ethical and legal standards of HIPAA to ensure the privacy and trust of their patients.

Resources

DeNisco, S. M. (Ed.). (2024). Advanced practice nursing: Essential knowledge for the profession (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN-13: 9781284264661

Edemekong, P. F., Haydel, M. J., & Annamaraju, P. (2022, February 3). Health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA). Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500019/