Security and Access in a Healthcare Setting

Security and Access
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Security and Access
Investing too much in IT security seems like a move in the right direction until a point when it becomes the stumbling block to efficiency. A robust security system seeks to limit access to confidential information to the least number possible of authorized personnel. In a healthcare setting, the flow of information from one practitioner to the other is crucial in ensuring seamless service delivery; therefore, limiting access may inhibit the efficiency in a healthcare institution. On the contrary, exercising leniency with the access of confidential patient information could jeopardize the security and integrity of the information, derailing the efficiency of the healthcare institutions as well. There needs to be a balance between ease of access and data security to enhance overall efficiency and avoid unnecessary conflicts in a healthcare institution.
A typical scenario where the limit to the access of information to enhance security might create conflict is when some professionals like nurses, pharmacists, or radiographers are barred from accessing patients’ information that is under the jurisdiction of a doctor. The different professionals have to work interdependently in a hospital setting to achieve the primary object of offering services to patients (Obembe et al., 2018). The deterrence of other professionals from accessing confidential information for security reasons derails the relationship between the healthcare professionals that is reliant on interdependence.
Another instance where conflict might arise due to restricted access to information is between the health facility management teams and the healthcare professionals. Systems might be configured in a way that allows access to confidential patient information only to the professional teams while restricted access to the managerial teams to comply with the confidentiality r...