Evidence-Based Approaches to Mitigate Risks for Patients and Healthcare Staff NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 – Protected Health Information (PHI), Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality Best Practice

Protected Health Information (PHI), Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality Best Practice

For instance, an interdisciplinary team of specialists might include a privacy officer, IT staff, legal counsel, and a health information management specialist. This team can aid a healthcare company in formulating policies and procedures to safeguard ePHI, such as implementing appropriate access controls and encryption to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to the data. Additionally, the team can assist the company in devising a response plan in case of a data breach (Beckmann et al., 2021).

Evidence-Based Approaches to Mitigate Risks for Patients and Healthcare Staff

To minimize risks for patients and healthcare staff while utilizing social media containing sensitive electronic health information, several strategies can be implemented (Health, 2022):

1. Develop a social media policy outlining guidelines for interacting with patients on social media and restrictions on sharing private information.
2. Utilize secure communications, ensuring that the services used are HIPAA compliant and encrypted to guarantee data safety.
3. Educate employees on the risks of social media usage and the importance of safeguarding private electronic health records.
4. Monitor social media accounts for improper information and ensure staff members comply with the rules and regulations.
5. Limit access to sensitive electronic health information to only those individuals who need it to perform their duties.
6. Employ authentication procedures to verify the identity of anyone accessing sensitive data.
7. Establish auditing and monitoring mechanisms to detect any unauthorized access or attempted access to sensitive information.
8. Stay updated with the latest best practices for safeguarding private electronic health information.

Effective Staff Training for Interprofessional Teams

As healthcare providers, it is our responsibility to ensure the security, privacy, and confidentiality of patient data, especially when using social media. NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 – Protected Health Information (PHI), Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality Best Practice . Adhering to the strictest standards of patient confidentiality, medical practitioners using social media should follow these rules (Arigo et al., 2018):

1. Avoid engaging in speculation or criticism of a patient on social media.
2. Refrain from disclosing information about a patient’s health or treatment on social media.
3. Never publish any patient-identifying information on social media, including images.
4. Do not use social media to request or receive patient information.
5. Avoid disclosing any patient data or confidential information to individuals outside the healthcare team.

References

Almaghrabi, N. S., & Bugis, B. A. (2022). Patient confidentiality of electronic health records: A recent review of the Saudi literature. Dr. Sulaiman al Habib Medical Journal, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44229-022-00016-9 

Basil, N. N., Ambe, S., Ekhator, C., & Fonkem, E. (2022). Health records database and inherent security concerns: A review of the literature. Cureus, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.30168

HIPAA Journal. (2023, February). Hipaa Social Media Rules – updated 2023. https://www.hipaajournal.com/hipaa-social-media/

Javaid, D. M., Haleem, Prof. A., Singh, D. R. P., & Suman, D. R. (2023). Towards insighting cybersecurity for healthcare domains: A comprehensive review of recent practices and trends. Cyber Security and Applications, 1(100016), 100016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csa.2023.100016 

Kerr, H., Booth, R., & Jackson, K. (2020). Exploring the characteristics and behaviors of nurses who have attained microcelebrity status on Instagram: Content analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(5), e16540. https://doi.org/10.2196/16540 

Vos, J. F. J., Boonstra, A., Kooistra, A., Seelen, M., & van Offenbeek, M. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 676. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05542-6