Digital Medical Systems Research Articles

Cognizance About Privacy and Security of Patients Health Information among Medical and Dental Students

Background: The proliferation of electronic health records and digital medical systems has brought about significant advancements in patient care and information management. However, concerns regarding the privacy and security of patients' health information have also intensified. As future healthcare practitioners, medical and dental students play a pivotal role in ensuring the safeguarding of sensitive patient data. This study aims to assess the awareness and understanding of privacy and security issues related to patients' health information among medical and dental students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of medical and dental students from diverse academic institutions. A structured questionnaire was administered to assess participants' knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning patient data privacy and security. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, and associations between demographic factors and awareness levels were explored. Results: The study findings reveal that while a substantial portion of medical and dental students recognize the importance of patient data privacy, a significant knowledge gap exists regarding the specific measures and protocols to ensure security. The research found that 232(71.7%) of the participants preferred electronic patient records for their ease of accessibility and 198 (61.4%) strongly valued privacy. Students expressed varying levels of understanding concerning encryption methods, access controls, and legal frameworks governing patient information. Conclusion: This study underscores the imperative for comprehensive education and training programs focusing on privacy and security of patients' health information within medical and dental curricula. As future healthcare practitioners, medical and dental students must be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge contributing to a more secure and privacy-aware healthcare environment.

Methods of automatically acquiring images from digital medical systems

Automated image acquisition plays an important role in a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). However, there is no single solution for automated data acquisition from existing digital medical imaging systems. We have gained a great deal of experience on automatic acquiring data by interfacing imaging scanners of major manufacturers. In this paper, we categorize the interface methods supported by the current image scanners. This categorization consists of five architectural models: (a) sequential chain; (b) direct interface; (c) memory access; (d) shared disk; and (e) interconnected network. The cost, rate of data transfer, and ease of implementation of each model are discussed. To ensure the integrity and availability of patient images in a PACS system, automated fault tolerance design in image acquisition is required. Based upon our field data, we report common scenarios which cause the acquisition to fail. We also describe techniques employed to automatically restart the operations which include recovery from acquisition processes' errors and traps, image acquisition computer down-time occurrence, and shutdown occurrence of medical imaging system.