Week 3 Discussion: The Internet: Privacy and Safety Concerns No unread replies. No replies. Respond to the following question based on this week’s lesson and, if it’s relevant, include your own personal experience. The Internet- Privacy and Safety Concerns The Internet- Privacy and Safety Concerns Provide at least two examples of how institutions protect Internet-based patient information and promote patient privacy. What specifically can nurses do to protect patient privacy when using the Internet?

The Internet- Privacy and Safety Concerns

Protecting internet-based patient information and promoting patient privacy is crucial in healthcare. Two critical examples of how institutions safeguard patient data include encryption protocols and strict access controls. Firstly, institutions use advanced encryption systems to secure patient records and communications. This protects sensitive data such as medical histories and test results (Krishna et al., 2023). The data is transmitted and stored in a way that does not allow access to unauthorized individuals. Secondly, institutions implement strict access controls. They limit the number of individuals who can view patient information. Only authorized individuals, like doctors and nurses, can access these records.

Nurses in the emergency room are key to upholding patient privacy when using the Internet (Hosseini et al., 2023). To begin with, they must be smart about logging out of electronic health record (EHR) systems when they are not in use. They should also safeguard their sign-in information. Additionally, nurses should be cautious when discussing patient information in online forums or via email. No personally identifiable information should be shared. Furthermore, they can promote patient privacy by using secure and encrypted communication platforms, more so when sharing sensitive patient data. Regularly updating passwords is also important. Being vigilant against phishing attempts can boost cybersecurity and patient privacy efforts.

In a personal experience, I recall a situation in the emergency room where a patient’s privacy was at risk. A nurse mistakenly left an open EHR session unattended. This exposed the patient’s medical information to unauthorized individuals in the vicinity. This incident served as a reminder of the importance of vigilance in protecting patient information. Following this incident, the institution implemented additional data security and privacy protocol training. It reinforced the need for nurses to be active in protecting patient data. As healthcare professionals, nurses in the emergency room must continually educate themselves on evolving cybersecurity threats. They should know best practices to ensure patient privacy remains in this digital era.

References

Hosseini, M. M., Hosseini, S. T. M., Qayumi, K., Ahmady, S., & Koohestani, H. R. (2023). The aspects of running artificial intelligence in emergency care; a scoping review. Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.22037%2Faaem.v11i1.1974

Krishna, B. M., Sapthami, I., Srivani, M., & Rupani, R. K. (2023). Security of electronic health records using attribute-based encryption on the cloud. In 2023 4th International Conference on Electronics and Sustainable Communication Systems (ICESC) (pp. 627-632). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/

 

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