SECURITY AND PRIVACY OF THE INTEGRATED CLINICAL ENVIRONMENT PART I

Abstract

Integration without security and privacy is not interoperability. The integrated clinical environment cannot achieve the goals of improving patient safety, increasing treatment effectiveness, and improving operational efficiency without engineering both privacy and security into clinical systems, institutional health information systems, and health information exchanges
The integrated clinical environment is the synthesis of health care providers, medical devices, health information networks and information technology working together to improve patient safety, increase treatment effectiveness, and improve efficiency. Although this is a laudable goal, current research has done little to address security and privacy concerns with the integrated clinical environment. Unfortunately, the concept was born with little focus on security and privacy. The potential for great harm, both physical and emotional, is ever-present in the health care context when information technology is used to assist in the treatment of patients. The basic tenants of information security should be followed when developing an integrated clinical environment—confidentiality, integrity, accessibility, and accountability.