With the increase in the use of information technology, it is critical to maintain a sense of security and patient safety. An organization using information systems are at threat of losing their data to hackers. As a result, nurses and other healthcare professionals must safeguard patient data and follow the code of ethics, which mandates them to maintain patient confidentiality (Choi & Song, 2018). They must ensure that a patient’s health information is not compromised and does not get into wrong hands. In addition, nurse informatics experts and educators must be aware of the training approaches they can employ to guarantee that their staff is equipped to tackle information security concerns and prevent security breaches when handling patient information. To achieve this, educators can use educational methods to improve content delivery and staff training on information security.
Education Methods: Instructor-Led Training
Instructor-led training is a method in which learners are guided by instructors. Training can take place in a classroom setting where trainers educate people and guide them to comprehend the concepts being taught (Hebda et al., 2019). It is a common technique because it is easier to administer and allows multiple people to be instructed by the same instructor at the same time. This type of teaching may be effective in situations where multiple people must be trained at the same time. Outcome assessment can be used to determine the effectiveness of this method. This enables the instructor to determine what the students have acquired during the training session. Thus, instructor-led training help to equip the learners with appropriate information.
Self-Directed Learning
Self-directed learning is a learning method where students are in charge of their learning. As a result, instructors and mentors and other types of instructors are not involved in this type of training (Hebda et al., 2019). Self-directed learning also does not rely on peers to generate results. The learners take all the efforts and put all of the mechanisms that ensure they learn. However, individuals may be limited by the method because they do not benefit from the skills or experience of others who may be skilled in the field. This training method can be evaluated using the outcome-based technique. This evaluation method is focused on determining the knowledge acquired through the training. Self-directed nurses may use research from databases to obtain the skills they require.
E-Learning
E-Learning is a training technique that makes use of electronic communication platforms. Although eLearning occurs through a variety of electronic mediums, in modern times, it often entails the use of the internet to connect learners, instructors, and information sources (Hebda et al., 2019). Communication primarily entails using digital communication tools to provide data and insights. The utilization of eLearning portals, webinars, and other tools are examples of eLearning. Kirkpatrick Model can be used to assess the effectiveness of this training technique. It considers any informal or official training to estimate aptitude based on four criteria: reaction, learning, behavior change, and organizational performance. As a result, E-learning can be used in expert education provided by the ANA through webinars and other means.
Blended Learning
Blended learning is a training method where individuals are taught using traditional techniques through physical learning and modern method through e-learning to exchange knowledge. Students are obliged to attend classes both physically and through online portals (Hebda et al., 2019). As a result, areas that cannot be adequately taught in class, such as studies requiring hands-on operations, are carried out by students when they see the teacher in courses. In addition, tests or exams can be administered to determine the method’s efficacy. This enables educators to assess what the students learned during the training session. Therefore, the blended learning technique provides a platform for students to learn and acquire information through physical meetings and online platforms.
Protecting Patients’ Information: Security Mechanisms
Security mechanisms are measures set to secure information by creating systems to limit access. Authentication is one example of a security mechanism that an organization can use to secure patients’ data. Users must generate their passwords and keep them effectively to prevent others from accessing the data (Hebda et al., 2019). Encryption is also another crucial security element that ensures the confidentiality of data. The data is encoded and can only be assessed by a user with the right encryption key. The organization can also use authorization as an information security technique to control the people who can access the system. Though authentication and authorization can secure information, the encryption technique is an effective security feature to use if the others have failed.
Administrative and Personnel Issues
Administrations and management should enhance data security by creating data-protection rules. Employees must follow the norms established by administrations to ensure that patients’ data is protected (Hebda et al., 2019). They may be required to operate in a certain manner by the administration to secure data. Protocols to guide access to data should be set to ensure that only those who need the data can access it from the system. As a result, administrations should also invest in educating workers to become better data handlers or may suspend those who manage information inappropriately. The administrators should create a favorable environment to ensure that patients’ data in an organization are secured.
Level of Access
An organization can safeguard patient data by creating different access levels so that individuals can only access what they are authorized. According to Richards et al. (2019), organizations should adopt information systems that allow them to limit the number of individuals who have access to patient information. Electronic medical records, remote patient monitoring, and patient portals are information systems that can help organizations limit access (Hebda et al., 2019). These technologies exist solely to provide users with access to patient data. People within a unit will be stopped from accessing patient data if they lack the right key to access the system.
Handling and Disposal of Confidential Information
Organizations should set rules to guide operations when handling data. For example, patients’ data can be protected by logging out each time they visit information systems. Furthermore, procedures restricting people from obtaining information that they are not ordinarily supposed to access should be included (Hebda et al., 2019). Employees should also be educated on how to use and evaluate data, which organizations should do. Workers, for example, should only retrieve data that is required for the operation. In addition, they should avoid using portable devices such as flash disks to access systems that store patient data to reduce the risks of cyber-attacks.
Using The Different Educational Methods
Instructor-led training can be utilized to educate people about phishing and spam emails. As a result, seminars can be organized, and instructors invited to instruct the team on phishing and email spam issues (Hebda et al., 2019). Assignments and tests on the topics being taught can be used to verify whether the learners’ comprehend the seminar’s material. Proper guidance is crucial to ensure that the students follow the lead in order to learn about the concepts. To determine whether or not the class understands the topics, questions can be asked, and responses can be obtained. Therefore, the instructor-led training method provides a platform for training employees on information security practices.
E-learning is also another technique that can educate employees on information security aspects. This technique can educate the staff by sharing materials and communicating via the internet (Hebda et al., 2019). For example, students’ emails accounts can be used to share learning materials about phishing and spam. To educate the employees on these aspects, e-learning also involves reaching out to them via Google Meet and other Internet-facilitated communication techniques. Tests can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this method. In addition, this training technique allows the employees to learn about encryption and other data protection mechanisms.
Self-guided learning is also important in educating the employees on various aspects. The employees are in charge of their learning and determine when and how to acquire the information (Hebda et al., 2019). However, employees can be informed of areas in which they are supposed to conduct research and then allow them to find the knowledge and teach themselves. In self-guided learning, learners have control over their schedules and materials. The training method can be assessed by observing the students’ work and asking them questions to determine what they have captured and where improvements are needed. This training method gives the learners the ability to control their learning.
Blended learning can also equip employees with appropriate information concerning information security. It is considered effective because it allows online and in-person resources (Hebda et al., 2019). Blended training entails using multiple metrics at the same time. As a result, seminars can be organized to educate people about internet security. On the other hand, online classes can be arranged, especially when people cannot meet physically. To test the viability and validity of this training technique, in-person and online exams can be organized. The technique would be effective if the learners passed the exams. Therefore, the training method effectively teaches information security because the students can practice some security aspects during the learning session.
Conclusion
Due to the increase in the use of technology, security risks are fairly widespread, and the capacity to regulate them is important. To limit access to varied information, organizations can utilize security techniques such as data encryption, authorization, authentication, and level of access. Various measures, such as degree of access and authentication, are used in healthcare facilities to safeguard patients’ information from unauthorized users. Limiting access to the data increases an organization’s and the patient’s respect and confidentiality. Furthermore, security methods protect organizations from spam emails and scams by limiting access. However, these information security protection measures can be successful if employees are effectively trained on important concepts and stringent rules set to guide the operations. Therefore, an organization should strive to create a system that can effectively protect its data.
References
Choi, M., & Song, J. (2018). Social control through deterrence on the compliance with information security policy. Soft Computing, 22(20), 6765-6772. Web.
Hebda, T., Hunter, K., & Czar, P. (2019). Handbook of informatics for nurses and healthcare professionals (6th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Richards, G., Yeoh, W., Chong, A. Y. L., & Popovič, A. (2019). Business intelligence effectiveness and corporate performance management: an empirical analysis. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 59(2), 188-196. Web.