Balancing Good Intentions: Protecting the Privacy of Electronic Health Information

Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 28 (1):69-79 (2008)
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Abstract

Electronic information is a vital but complex component in the modern health care system, fueling ongoing efforts to develop a universal electronic health record infrastructure. This innovation creates a substantial tension between two desirable values: the increased quality and utility of patient medical records and the protection of the privacy of the information they contain. This article discusses related U.S. legislation, policy, and law—including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. This article offers an inclusive, equilibrium model to conceptualize the spectrum of challenge that this interplay of desirable but oppositional values creates. The model illustrates the relationship between information privacy and information flow, and that between individual and society-level needs, within the resulting impact sectors of individual security, health care priorities, public health effectiveness, and e-health development, while specifying beneficial outcomes for each.

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Citations of this work

Cybersecurity in health – disentangling value tensions.Michele Loi, Markus Christen, Nadine Kleine & Karsten Weber - 2019 - Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 17 (2):229-245.
The fabric of digital life.Andrew Iliadis & Isabel Pedersen - 2018 - Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 16 (3):311-327.

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