Patient Data and Privacy

From Digital Culture & Society

Context:

The use of digital platforms has been revolutionary for user health and data. Back then, healthcare industries only used physical paper and print to store records of patients. However, a growing population and the demand for equal treatment required the healthcare industry to evolve. With the emergence of digital systems, records can be acquired, stored, and managed much easier. It saves time and resources while also being much more effective than manual sorting. These digital platforms tailored to healthcare services can come in many forms. For example, hospitals usually have a secured digital database to keep medical records. However, platforms more accessible to the public have also been made. Mobile health platforms allow citizens to transfer and be notified of health-related information with a click of a phone. Cloud services act as extra storage for people to place their medical information. However, digital platforms still raise concerns about security and privacy. People could be hesitant to place their information in the hands of another party. Medical information is valuable because it involves numerous private data. It could be exploited if it is obtained by nefarious individuals. Medical platform breaches are especially brutal since hackers can obtain several hundred to thousands of private data for monetary gain. In addition, it could negatively affect the outlook of health organizations themselves. The trust between patients and the digital platforms in safeguarding their data would break. It is important to be aware of these issues and the possible precautions to take when using these systems.

Articles:

1. Privacy and security issues for mobile health platforms
2. Analysis of the Security and Privacy Requirements of CloudBased Electronic Health Records Systems
3. Digital Health Data: A Comprehensive Review of Privacy and Security Risks and Some Recommendations

cs20tj 22:52, 01 December 2023 (EDT)