The role of neutralisation techniques in violating hospitals privacy policies in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Protecting patients' information's privacy is a critical issue for health care organisations worldwide. Several studies have investigated the cognitive causes behind employees misusing information system and abusing of security assets and controls, even in the presence of traditional deterrence mechanisms. In this study, we investigated whether neutralisation theory can be used to predict justifications for violation of hospital's privacy policies. The research, based on an empirical study collected from medical interns (N =3D 66) working in four academic hospitals located in Saudi Arabia, found that neutralisation theory is an essential predictor of Medical Interns' (MIs) intention to violate the hospital privacy policies. In our model, we tested six neutralisation techniques, appeal to higher loyalties, defence of necessity, the metaphor of Ledger, denial of responsibility, denial of injury and condemnation of condemners, and found that all these techniques significantly contribute to the justifications of the MIs in (hypothetically) violating their organisations privacy policies.