Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of Computerised Patient Information Essay

Confidentiality, integrity and availability of computerised patient information.

Within this assignment I am going to explain the meaning of confidentiality, integrity, and availability in relation to the management of electronic patient records with in the NHS. These terms and their enforcement are imperative to patient record management. I will demonstrate via a scenario how easy it is to breach or lose patient information and these vital aspects of record management.  

For the purpose of patient safety (NMC 2009), and data protection all names and locations have been changed or omitted to maintain anonymity in accordance with the Data Protection act (1998).

Confidentiality within a healthcare setting means that personal data relevant to the patient should not be disclosed, except within certain parameters.   Confidentiality is described by the Department of Health (2003) as an ethical principle or legal right, that any health professional will record all information relating to a patient securely and not share that information with any one other than those who are involved in their care (NMC 2009) furthermore the information disclosed will be dealt with inline with local protocols such as child protection guidelines and the protection of vulnerable adults. Moreover the patient can give consent permitting disclosure to other services. Systems can be in place to allow the sharing of records, creating views or filters of the record that the patient wants the other departments or individuals to see (TPP 2010).

Confidentiality can be breeched easily. In the scenario for the purpose of this assignment, confidentiality was breeched because a service user was able to see the electronic record of another patient also on the ward. A summary screen was displayed on a PC terminal which displayed admission notes, diagnosis and treatment advice was clearly, along with the patient’s demographic details.

Simple measures can be put into place to prevent incidents...