Ethical Challenges in Health Informatics Research Outline

I. Thesis Statement: The present study explores controversies that raise ethical challenges in health informatics, particularly when patient informed consent, confidentiality, and autonomy are at stake.

II. Ethical Challenges in Health Informatics

Health informatics concerns healthcare information and communication systems and approaches, both of which have been significantly impacted in recent years by technology, the use of computers, and the internet by patients and clinicians. Most healthcare practices and systems now adopt computerized provider order entry (CPOE) and use electronic medical records (EMR). With health informatics, patients can surf the web to seek health information very quickly. However, health informatics or the application of computers in healthcare systems are controversial and raise ethical concerns, particularly when patient informed consent, confidentiality, and autonomy are at stake. A good number of governments are have expressed interest in adopting integrated EMRs, with the US leading in digitalized health record systems. However, advances in communication and information technology are creating a situation where privacy and security threats impact patients’ health data. In 2020, the US reported a 25% rise in healthcare data breaches than 2019, with about 642 incidences reported in the same year (HIPAA 2021).

A. Patients’ Informed Consent and Confidentiality Breach

1. The last couple of years has witnessed healthcare data becoming more digitized, mobile, and distributed, with many healthcare organizations adopting EMRs and patients using smartphones to access care information. Sensitive patient data are gathered and stored on network servers, making them accessible every time to facilitate patient care (Kuo et al 2020). However, smart devices have become the primary target for privacy breaches, leading to patients’ confidentiality breaches.

2. Besides, software vulnerability, human errors, and security failure make the healthcare electronic databases accessible to unauthorized users, exposing patients’ sensitive information in the form of a breach (Luna et al., 2016).

B. Threat Patient Autonomy

1. Autonomy is threatened when the patient’s health information is linked or shared without their consent or knowledge (Varkey, 2020). Electronic health systems sometimes breach fidelity by exposing multiple patient data through theft or human error.

2. Patients might conceal sensitive information because of a lack of trust in the electronic healthcare systems (Kuo et al. 2020).

III. Causes of Healthcare Data Breaches

A. Hacking

1. Study shows that hacking is the primary cause of exposure to extremely sensitive healthcare data. Between 2005 and 2019, approximately 249.09 million health records were exposed to unauthorized users, out of which 161.05 million or 64.7% comprised hacking attacks (She et al. 2020).

2. Healthcare providers are easy targets for cyberattacks because the majority of them continue to use out-of-date and unsupported operating systems and software (Luna et al., 2016).

B. Disclosure of Information through Unauthorized Access

1. Unauthorized access and disclosure of patient information is another major cause of healthcare data breaches in the digital era. Unauthorized access to healthcare data, such as viewing of patient data electronic health information systems, is motivated by several factors, including curiosity, interpersonal conflicts, or concerns about the well-being and health of the patient (Kuo et al. 2020).

2. Even though the exposed health records through unauthorized access is significantly less, an estimated 3 million patient data we exposed in 2018 through disclosure by unauthorized access (She et al. 2020).

IV. Preventing Health Care Data Breaches

A. Have A Robust Clear Incident Response Plan

1. Developing and adopting a response plan helps the healthcare organization avoid escalations if a data breach occurs (Argaw et al., 2020). An incident plan provides clear guidelines for the essential decisions and follow-up procedures.

2. An incidence plan contains important procedures, including secure backup plans and security alerts, helping the organization promptly detect and respond to malicious activities (Johnson, 2020).

B. Increase Efforts for Vulnerability Management on Key Platforms and Technologies

1. The healthcare organization should conduct regular scanning, analyze and test for vulnerabilities in the operating environments (Kruse et al., 2017). Such includes conducting deep and dark web searches to know what hackers might be saying about your organization.

2. HIPAA rules also require healthcare organizations to perform a yearly risk assessment for vulnerability policy review (“Guidance on Risk Analysis”, 2021; Mbonihankuye, Nkunzimana & Ndagijimana, 2019).

V. Conclusion & Future Research

A. Closing

1. Health informatics is mud with controversies that raise ethical challenges, mainly when patient informed consent, confidentiality, and autonomy are at stake. The most notable controversy is the data breach, which impacts millions of Americans, affecting patients’ confidentiality and autonomy.

2. The breach of healthcare data is mainly caused by hacking and disclosure through unauthorized access. Healthcare organizations can prevent such breaches by implementing an incidence response plan and increasing vulnerability management efforts.

B. Future Research

1. Further research should focus on the main victims of healthcare cyberattacks

2. The information will help identify the primary motive or aim of attackers to help formulate a healthcare incidence response plan for data breach incidences.