HIPAA Technology. The PHI Security on Mobile Devices. Health, Medicine, Nursing Coursework

The PHI Security on Mobile Devices
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The PHI Security on Mobile Devices
When considering the use of public health information (PHI) on mobile electronic devices, the security and privacy of patients’ data become the most significant barrier. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) comprises of the regulations that were implemented by the United States of America’s (USA) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). They are standards introduced to protect the privacy of patients’ information recorded in the electronic health record (EHR) (Drolet, Marwaha, Hyatt, Blazar, & Lifchez, 2017). For example, physicians are required not to use insecure media when sharing patients’ data to facilitate proper treatment. The paper focuses on risks posed to PHI when using mobile devices and the directives that can be added to an organization’s procedures and policies to ensure the security and privacy of patients’ data on portable electronic gadgets.
In particular, using the PHI on mobile devices poses numerous risks. Some of them include stolen devices, weak passwords, unsecured electronic gadgets, insecure wireless networks, insecure apps, and malware. If physicians are allowed to use mobile electronic devices to carry patients’ data, these gadgets might be stolen, hence posing a danger to the PHI stored in them. Many people do not use strong passwords to avoid forgetting and to facilitate faster access to the data (Storbrauck, 2015). In that case, if hackers get hold of such gadgets, they have an easy time accessing the recorded patients’ information. Additionally, individuals usually share mobile devices with friends and family. For this reason, if these individuals have the bad intention of retrieving or sharing the PHI in these gadgets, they would do it easily and without suspicion. In some instances, users of mobile devices might install malicious apps or malware, particularly if they click phishing links. That way, the PHI can be stolen, and users might not understand it.
A health organization can come up with various strategies and involve them in its information policies and procedures to foster the security and privacy of PHI on mobile devices. First, before physicians are allowed to have patients’ data on their mobile gadgets, they should be well trained on how to k...