Abstract
The privacy of patients and the security of their information is the most imperative barrier to entry when considering the adoption of electronic health records in the healthcare industry. Considering current legal regulations, this review seeks to analyze and discuss prominent security techniques for healthcare organizations seeking to adopt a secure electronic health records system. Additionally, the researchers sought to establish a foundation for further research for security in the healthcare industry. The researchers utilized the Texas State University Library to gain access to three online databases: PubMed (MEDLINE), CINAHL, and ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source. These sources were used to conduct searches on literature concerning security of electronic health records containing several inclusion and exclusion criteria. Researchers collected and analyzed 25 journals and reviews discussing security of electronic health records, 20 of which mentioned specific security methods and techniques. The most frequently mentioned security measures and techniques are categorized into three themes: administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. The sensitive nature of the information contained within electronic health records has prompted the need for advanced security techniques that are able to put these worries at ease. It is imperative for security techniques to cover the vast threats that are present across the three pillars of healthcare.
Highlights
As defined by the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Ban electronic health record (EHR) is an electronic version of a patient’s medical history, that is maintained by the provider over time, and may include all of the key administrative clinical data relevant to that person’s care under a particular provider, including demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports [1].^ While it is said that electronic health records are the step in the evolution of healthcare, the cyber-security methodologies associated with the adoption of EHRs should be thoroughly understood before moving forward [2]
Due to the sensitive nature of the information stored within EHRs, several security safeguards have been introduced through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
In the initial research conducted on this topic to write the introduction for this work, we found several key terms germane to our objective, and they generated from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Summary
RationaleAs defined by the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Ban electronic health record (EHR) is an electronic version of a patient’s medical history, that is maintained by the provider over time, and may include all of the key administrative clinical data relevant to that person’s care under a particular provider, including demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports [1].^ While it is said that electronic health records are the step in the evolution of healthcare, the cyber-security methodologies associated with the adoption of EHRs should be thoroughly understood before moving forward [2]. The three pillars to securing protected health information outlined by HIPAA are administrative safeguards, 127 Page 2 of 9. J Med Syst (2017) 41: 127 physical safeguards, and technical safeguards [4]. These three pillars are known as the three security safeguard themes for healthcare. These themes range from techniques regarding the location of computers to the usage of firewall software to protect health information. A brief list of safeguards and their definitions is provided in the Appendix
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