Introduction
The use of technology in health care is a significant reason why medical practitioners are unable to provide treatment in the same manner they did in the past. Although innovations may improve accuracy, operational efficiency, and cost savings, ethics, and legal compliance must also be carefully examined. The study focuses on an urban hospital setting during the spread of the pandemic, examining the confluence of informatics and healthcare, as well as the roles of information systems and technology in healthcare. The circumstance reveals that a nurse who is faced with a serious staffing shortfall and limited supplies makes a critical choice that has a significant impact on the future. This article examines the events that led to the media breach, in which an unauthorized leak of private client information may have happened.
HIPAA, Legal, and Regulatory Discussion
The relationship between technology and patients in the healthcare profession needs a thorough grasp of patient privacy and the requirements for HIPAA compliance. There is a possibility of HIPAA violations if the nurse discloses confidential patient records to the public. One example is the 2016 Advocate Health Care Network breach, in which up to 4 million patients’ information was exposed (Moore & Frye, 2020), demonstrating the need to safeguard electronic health data. Furthermore, HIPAA requirements are given appropriate attention under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which compels healthcare providers to be mindful of privacy and security rules. Another example of the legal implications of data privacy infractions occurred in 2019, when a Florida health provider that permitted unauthorized access to a patient’s medical data was fined $85,000 (Moore & Frey, 2020).
Healthcare rule revisions exacerbate this challenging work as technology alters nursing care. Despite the fact that EHR systems assist in improving treatment coordination, the original strategy remains. WannaCry ransomware, which targeted the National Health Service in the United Kingdom in 2017, confirmed the assertion that healthcare systems are susceptible and that cybersecurity safeguards must be strengthened to comply with security criteria (Savage & Savage, 2020). It is the health care professionals who will need to recognize and manage such regulations so that correct usage of technology can be performed and circumstances that expose patients to their privacy or trust are avoided.
Scenario Ending and Recommendations
The selected scenario will involve nurses violating patient privacy by disclosing patient data to the media, which is a HIPAA violation. During the COVID-19 crisis, unlike other experienced nurses who preferred to limit their public exposure, the nurse decided to post images and videos on social media to not only raise awareness of the importance of the situation but also to address the backlash caused by a widespread shortage of expertise and supplies. The particular violation of patient confidentiality correlates with a heightened degree of complexity at the intersection of technology, health, and morality. The ethical considerations are evident, and although the cause is worthy and the goal is to call attention to the issue, public safety may need to be considered. The nurse who caused the leak must promptly notify the Head of Nursing, including the possible risks of a recurrence, and work together to resolve the HIPAA violation. It is critical not to escape from the profit but to admit that it occurred by mistake as a result of an understanding of objectives to assist in enhancing patient welfare. In addition, analogous cases mentioned in the literature, such as the 2018 case of an Ohio nurse who unintentionally released patient information on social media, highlight the need for rigorous training and similar awareness efforts (Gaia et al., 2020).
One of the primary recommendations is to develop customized information and education campaigns for healthcare workers. Such training must emphasize the moral and legal ramifications of sharing the patient’s information, as well as teaching experience and learning from prior errors, such as in Ohio, where social media sharing is prohibited (Clayton et al., 2022). Health firms may go a step further by highlighting real-life examples and outcomes to demonstrate the deeper significance. This training will be provided to them in order to guarantee that their agents make informed decisions when faced with complex situations. This incident also underlines the necessity for companies to improve and strengthen their privacy and data security standards. Due to the high-profile issues with patient data breaches in large-scale healthcare systems, organizations must guarantee that their procedures and incident response plans are continually updated and strengthened. Staff members are regularly taught about changing environmental norms and legislation via periodic workshops, seminars, and case reminders, which are likely motivated by real-time repercussions of infractions (Gaia et al., 2020).
The current patient advocacy and communications policies must then be thoroughly reviewed. The firms’ management should alter staff numbers, procurement, and communication channels after learning from the experience in which health workers used unusual tactics, as I observed in the case above. Response to crises may be improved by incorporating real-time occurrences such as the COVID-19 pandemic with an increase in telehealth. This viewpoint teaches a deep lesson about the need for a healthy interaction between ethics and patient advocacy in order to stay at the forefront of quickly developing healthcare technology. The whole procedure is intended to pave the way for more drastic measures to be implemented in response to future events. It also assists in the immediate aftermath of the Data Privacy Act violation. The response aims to demonstrate the need to build an ethical culture in which workers ask questions, learn on the job, and adhere to healthcare procedures when working with healthcare digital technology. This is done by using the case samples that are provided.
Advantages and Disadvantages
These advancements in healthcare technology have ushered in a new era of services characterized by enhanced diagnostics, streamlined procedures, and cost savings. The implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has resulted in the following evident benefits. According to Clayton et al. (2022), EHRs provide an extra benefit in clinical settings by allowing for the seamless exchange of data across health practitioners. The availability of such information to everybody, including decision-makers and those on the front lines of treatment, not only allows for better-informed judgments but also reduces medical blunders. Not only that, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, they also have the potential to minimize adverse medication events by 30%. The use of telemedicine as a tool has been recognized as unique, particularly during an extraordinary epidemic such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. With this rise, more individuals will be able to consult a medical professional, even if they live in distant or underdeveloped locations, thanks to telehealth and home monitoring, which are now accessible. Along with improving patient comfort, telemedicine lowers medical costs and dramatically minimizes the danger of sickness transmission (Wells, 2023).
In addition to the advantages that patients might get, there are risks associated with healthcare technology. Cybersecurity dangers may put patient privacy on high alert. In addition, the healthcare business is one of the most popular targets for hackers. Over 38 million medical records were compromised in 372 documented healthcare data breaches in 2021, according to the Protenus Breach Barometer report (Clayton et al., 2022). The hazards that hacking presents for patients and healthcare institutions are obvious, as they may jeopardize patient privacy and increase expenses, emphasizing the need for comprehensive cybersecurity protection. The case illustrates how healthcare workers may use social media, providing the sixth illustration of the issue. If staff personnel openly disclose patient information on social media platforms without authority, such acts may have unintended consequences that weaken patients’ faith in the system. According to Moore and Frye (2020), more than 85% of patients are concerned about the amount of privacy they have on social media about their medical information. The period of technological growth in the area of healthcare increases the necessity for ethical and professional standards, which will allow for the balancing of technology benefits and hazards and the ethical and responsible use of healthcare technology that ensures the benefit of patient care.
Conclusion and Reflections
In conclusion, the situation presented raises several problems about the ethical use of technology in health care delivery. Despite the fact that the nurse divulged the patient information out of a desire to serve and assist her patients, the HIPAA unconscious breach demonstrates the need to carefully consider the hazards of working with technology. The proposals would not only address the issue but also raise awareness and work toward improved organizational control. Of course, healthcare staff must understand and agree to their actions, not only because of the significant repercussions but also to protect patient privacy and faith in the healthcare system. To successfully navigate the complicated medical care environment, the use of technology in healthcare, which permits not only the mechanical side of treatment but also the moral viewpoint, needs a deliberate and moral approach. It offers a conclusion on the necessity of protecting the integrity of particular data in the hard-to-improve healthcare industry. However, it also incites self-education and legal compliance.
References
Clayton, E. W., Embí, P. J., & Malin, B. A. (2022). Dobbs and the future of health data privacy for patients and healthcare organizations. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocac155
Gaia, J., Wang, X., Yoo, C. W., & Sanders, G. L. (2020). Good News and Bad News About Incentives to Violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Scenario-Based Questionnaire Study. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(7), e15880. https://doi.org/10.2196/15880
Moore, W., & Frye, S. A. (2020). A Review of the HIPAA, Part 2: Limitations, Rights, Violations, and role for the Imaging Technologist. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 48(1), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.119.227827
Savage, M., & Savage, L. C. (2020). Doctors Routinely Share Health Data Electronically Under HIPAA, and Sharing With Patients and Patients’ Third-Party Health Apps is Consistent: Interoperability and Privacy Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e19818. https://doi.org/10.2196/19818
Wells, J. (2023). A Digital Checkup on HIPAA: Modernizing Healthcare Privacy Standards for Telehealth Services. http://www.fclj.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/75.2.3-Digital-Checkup-on-Privacy.pdf
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