Introduction
Electronic health records
Electronic health records (EHRs) have gradually replaced the more archaic paper charts that formerly accompanied each patient (EHR). Electronic health records (EHRs) are digital versions of paper medical charts kept up-to-date electronically and made available to doctors and other medical professionals safely and reliably. Although EHRs include patients’ medical and treatment histories, their scope is meant to extend well beyond the standard clinical data collected in a provider’s office, allowing for a more all-encompassing picture of a patient’s care to be gleaned from the information(Corey et al.,2020). This is because EHR systems are intended to serve a far broader purpose than only collecting clinical data. Electronic health records (EHRs) are an essential and challenging part of health information technology because they contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, prescriptions, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergy information, radiographic images, and laboratory and diagnostic test results (IT).
Electronic health records give doctors easy access to decision-making tools founded on evidence and allow them to treat their patients. Electronic health records allow providers to automate their business workflow and improve efficiency. Authorized medical professionals can create and maintain patient health data in a digital format that can be shared with other physicians from various healthcare organizations. Electronic health records are designed to provide information to locations such as pharmacies, emergency departments, laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, and clinics located in schools and workplaces.
Organizational needs
There is a possibility that the application of EHRs, often known as electronic health records, will improve medical care. Electronic health records, often known as EHRs, can facilitate more accessible access to medical care for patients and practitioners (Simonsen & Hertzum, 2023). Electronic health records (EHRs) can benefit patients and their doctors. Quicker access to patient records from in-hospital and off-site locations; improved and more concise decision support; clinical alerts, reminders, and medical information; tools to boost performance; real-time quality reporting; comprehensible and comprehensive documentation; accurate coding and billing; interfaces with labs, registries, and other EHRs; safer, more dependable prescribing; and less need to fiddle all contribute to better coordination, effectiveness, and efficiency in patient care.
The primary benefits of utilizing an electronic health record system are reducing operational expenses and enhancing the overall quality of medical care(Cerchione et al.,2023). Every piece of software has a unique collection of features and capabilities that assist it in its tasks. The number of features an electronic health record needs will determine how much it will cost to build and install the EHR. Personal health information (PHI), also known as medical history, name, address, phone number, social security number, and information regarding insurance coverage, is stored in electronic health record systems. This information is safeguarded per the HIPAA Privacy Rule. For a piece of software to be lawful, it needs multiple levels of security if it may access protected health information (PHI). Included in the list of security features are multifactor authentication, access control, password verification, data backups, and encryption of data both while it is at rest and while it is being sent. There are several steps involved in implementing EHRs.
Phases of SDLC
Software Development Life Cycle SDLC comprises five phases: planning, system analysis and requirements, development, implementation, operation, and maintenance. Many processes are involved at the beginning of the EHR system implementation process. It is necessary to design a plan for the implementation(Aldawood & Skinner, 2019). Putting together a crew, settling on a spending plan, and devising a plan for the underlying infrastructure is necessary. Education on the system must be provided to all personnel using it during the second phase of the implementation process. The functionality of EHRs will be evaluated in the second stage of the process. Post-implementation enhancements, also known as post-implementation support and enhancements, were the focus of the project’s third stage. During this stage, relevant people were provided with support.
When implementing an EHR system, a number of necessary processes are outlined in detail in a step-by-step guide. Installation of an EHR system involves both time and careful preparation. If you are a healthcare provider or want to establish an electronic health record (EHR) for the market, you must understand how to integrate EHR suitably. The following procedures are included in our guide for implementing electronic health records: Create an implementation plan; identify an implementation team; evaluate the budget; prepare the infrastructure; provide an education system; review EHR performance; enhance your system; and offer assistance.
Data and Security Breach Vulnerabilities
Even in the presence of electronic health records (EHRs), there is always the risk of data theft and security breaches. According to the report titled Healthcare Data Breaches: Insights and Implications, “sensitive data are collected by healthcare organizations from their customers and stored on network servers in order to make them always accessible and to facilitate patient care. However, as is the case with every blessing, there is also a curse, which is also true in this particular instance.” The use of smartphones and other smart devices currently accounts for most breaches of users’ privacy(Susanto, 2021). Unauthorized people can occasionally access these databases because of flaws in the underlying technology, problems with security measures, and human error. As a direct consequence of this, sensitive information might be accessed through data breaches. Sometimes, sensitive healthcare information might be lost, stolen, or disclosed as a consequence of an assault carried out by an employee within the organization. On the dark web, purchasing a detailed record file about a single patient can cost several hundred dollars. When compared to other data-intensive industries, the healthcare industry has been the one that has been most severely affected.
Protocols to Mitigate Identified Data and Security Breach Vulnerabilities
Several different preventative measures are available in the event of a data breach. According to the article “13 Ways to Prevent Data Breaches in Healthcare,” various methods are available to prevent data breaches. The document recommends that businesses do risk assessments to determine where their current security weaknesses lie. An annual security risk assessment is something that HIPAA requires all providers to perform in order to identify potential vulnerabilities and review existing policies. If a firm experiences a data breach or some other kind of problem, having an incident response strategy can prevent the situation from worsening. This plan should clearly and concisely outline the critical decisions and actions. Ongoing education opportunities should be made available to staff members. When it comes to safety, knowledge and training are necessary.
However, research conducted by the security company Kaspersky indicated that just 48% of healthcare professionals in the United States had read their organizations’ cybersecurity policy and that 64% of healthcare workers were unaware of the procedures for cybersecurity(Simonsen & Hertzum, 2023). Only one-third of healthcare workers could define HIPAA, and nearly half of all respondents stated that they had never received training in cybersecurity. As a result, you need to ensure that the members of your staff have a solid understanding of the consequences of a breach of healthcare data and the many categories of data breaches. In addition, people need to be aware of the safeguards and responses that can be taken in the event of a risk. 13 different methods to prevent data leaks in the healthcare industry Unnamed or unknown demigods (n.d.). Increasing expenditure on security, establishing subnetworks, using less-dated information technology equipment, encrypting data, and appropriately deleting sensitive data are some of the additional security techniques mentioned in the study.
Conclusion
Users of EHR systems need to be instructed on how to protect themselves against phishing scams. When attackers want to improve the likelihood that a user would open an email, they frequently pose as a firm member. Suppose the cybercriminal pretends as an employee who possesses easily recognizable credentials. Ransomware is a type of malware crucial in enterprises when personnel do not have access to the system. They are required to present the item that was stated in order to regain entry. Hackers infiltrate electronic health record systems with malware by using blind spot encryption. Blind spot encryption is used by the system since there is a possibility that it will be confused with a regular business encryption system. Monitoring encrypted communication to discover potential weak spots and encryption traffic enables enterprises to protect data transfers.
Courses
Aldawood, H., & Skinner, G. (2019). Reviewing cyber security social engineering training and awareness programs—Pitfalls and ongoing issues. Future Internet, 11(3), 73. https://www.mdpi.com/429582
Cerchione, R., Centobelli, P., Riccio, E., Abbate, S., & Oropallo, E. (2023). Blockchain’s coming to the hospital to digitalize healthcare services: Designing a distributed electronic health record ecosystem. Technovation, 120, 102480. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016649722200027X
Corey, K. M., Helmkamp, J., Simons, M., Curtis, L., Marsolo, K., Balu, S., … & Sendak, M. (2020). Assessing quality of surgical real-world data from an automated electronic health record pipeline. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 230(3), 295-305. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1072751520300612
Simonsen, J., & Hertzum, M. (2022). Effects-Driven IT Improvement: Pursuing local post-implementation opportunities. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, 34(1), 2. https://aisel.aisnet.org/sjis/vol34/iss1/2/
Susanto, H. (2021). Revealing cyber threat of smart mobile devices within digital ecosystem: User information security awareness. In Data Integrity and Quality. IntechOpen. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=kVE2EAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA115&dq=+The+use+of+smartphones+and+other+smart+devices+currently+accounts+for+the+majority+of+breaches+of+users%27+privacy.&ots=3fIFOS8X0z&sig=GAOTAfIfgBnzdSKWwngZVOJlmQU
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