NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice NURS-FPX 4040 Managing Health Information and Technology

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Protected Health Information

Security and confidentiality rules are shifting to address privacy concerns in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Patient data, including demographic and personal information, is characterized as Protected Health Information (PHI). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a United States (US) act that made strategies for protecting PHI and guaranteeing its security and privacy in the healthcare of ICU patients (Moore & Frye, 2019). Interdisciplinary teams must obey the privacy principles of the HIPAA confidentiality law and deliver guidelines on controlling PHI (Guraya et al., 2021).

Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality

Privacy refers to the right to control personal information. Security involves safeguarding data from unauthorized access. Confidentiality is the assurance that sensitive information is shared only with authorized parties. Maintaining private information is essential for ICU patients who use PHI (Herasevich & Subramanian, 2019). Protecting ICU patients’ Electronic Health Records (EHR) requires HIPPA compliance, setting up stored talks and privacy features in social media, and maintaining privacy. These tools guard patient data and facilitate interdisciplinary work among healthcare providers to improve the care of ICU patients (Thapa& Camtepe, 2021). The main risks for violating HIPPA law are revealing pictures and data without consent from the ICU patients, which have authorized penalties. Penalties such as fines and terminations follow legal and HIPAA regulations violations (Eaton & McNett, 2020).

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Protection of Electronic Health Records

Healthcare professionals work collaboratively in the ICU; ICU specialists concentrate on personalized conditions. This collaboration promises accurate and rapid interventions in the ICU, enhancing patient care (Chinmoy et al., 2020). Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to protect the safety of EHRs of ICU patients. IT experts and healthcare professionals work together to preserve security rules. This includes access controls, encryption, and regular audits (Thate et al., 2020). Interdisciplinary collaboration failure indicates that communication collapses significantly affect adverse events in healthcare. Patient safety can be upgraded using ICU patients’ EHR documents to improve communication. This can help to mitigate these failures (Thate et al., 2020). 

Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Violation of HIPAA

Strict access controls, regular audits, and clear guidelines for handling health information (Worobiec et al., 2023). To avoid HIPAA violations, evidence-based approaches must be placed into practice. Providing customary privacy laws and encouraging interdisciplinary teams to have an awareness-based and responsible culture are approaches to dodge HIPAA violations. When handling ICU patients’ EHR, use safe communication methods and encryption. Implement strict access controls and conduct frequent health audits (Chinmoy et al., 2020). Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces HIPAA right of access, imposing 25 penalties totaling $1,564,650 as of December 2021, targeting non-compliance, including small healthcare providers. (HIPAA Journal, 2021).

Evidence for Interprofessional Team Awareness

Interprofessional staff need training to protect the confidentiality and safety of patient data. Through training, staff can know the penalties for posting patients’ health data on social networking sites. It helps improve personal communication and education about legislative principles. Organize seminars concentrating on the value of protecting PHI on social media (Worobiec et al., 2023).

References

Chinmoy, B., Ho, C. H., & Brodell, R. T. (2020). Time to revisit HIPAA? Accelerated telehealth adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 83(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.06.989

Eaton, I., & McNett, M. (2020). Protecting the data: Security and privacy. Data for Nurses, 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-816543-0.00006-6

Guraya, S. S., Guraya, S. Y., & Yusoff, M. S. B. (2021). Preserving professional identities, behaviors, and values in digital professionalism using social networking sites; A systematic review. BMC Medical Education, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02802-9