Security Issues

Security concerns are inevitable. Man-made mistakes and technological mistakes happen. There was a case in Rhode Island where one-thirds of the computers had a virus. All of the computers were not able to function. This negatively affected patient care in the hospital. Everyone had to stop working because there was no way for any health care worker to do their job without connection. Non-life-threatening surgeries were postponed and receptionists could not schedule appointments without looking at the schedule on the system. Doctors weren’t able to look at the patient’s care plan to view encounters. It was almost a shutdown (Sittig). In another case, there was a communication mistake in prescription that happened due to electronic health records. There are parts where even the computers are unable to detect mistakes. A doctor prescribed 30 mg of oxycodone, sustained release. However, 30 mg of oxycodone, immediate release was sent out (Sittig). This miscommunication can be fixed with careful use. Providers should not use free-text boxes because those are not standardized (Sittig). Viruses, stolen laptops, or important files are not the only way privacy is leaked. There are health care workers that look through patient files for no good reasons. Some people abuse their powers and look through private information such as social security number that might lead to theft or any forms of criminality. Some staff members might look through celebrity health files out of curiosity or to leak information to the public (NHS Electronic Health Records). This is also related to legal and ethical concerns.