While using mobile phones to share information can be beneficial to nurses and other healthcare professionals, it has legal and ethical implications. There is a high risk of security breaches which can undermine or comprise the security of healthcare services and patient information. It can be difficult to ensure data in personal devices does not reach unwanted destinations without specific details about the clients. Use of smartphone has illegal and data security issues but changes of policies and establishment of appropriate procedures can enhance the utilization of the devices in healthcare.
Mobile phone use is not protected by HIPAA, which raises privacy issues for data collected and stored in such personal devices. Patients can sue healthcare professionals for taking pictures using a mobile phone and other personal devices, which can easily be hacked (Rothstein et al., 2020). Data in mobile phones can be used against the organization or the patient, indicating that the issues affect confidentiality and data security.
The nurse can rely on appropriate security measures for the safety of patient data. Such practices include using the device only for recording and sharing data instead of personal use. The nurse should adhere to rules such as informed consent and ethical nursing standards to ensure security for healthcare professionals and patients (Rothstein et al., 2020). Lastly, the nurses should ensure the device is highly protected from access by unauthorized parties.
Using phone devices to share patient data is not legal; however, policy changes can allow healthcare professionals to use mobile devices for such purposes. This action will need some policies, such as having mobile devices meant to share patient data. Such procedures can ensure that the institution controls the data and that security features are enhanced to ensure confidentiality. Since the use of smartphones by healthcare professionals is a common trend, organizations should establish procedures and policies to ensure that their use is controlled.
In conclusion, the common use of smartphones to share healthcare data is associated with several security and privacy issues. HIPAA does not allow use of personal phones to store and share patients’ data due to related ethical and legal implications. However, smartphones can be highly beneficial in healthcare hence rules should be established to ensure their utilization is safe. Such policies can include using phones for sharing and communicating patient’s information only.
References
Rothstein, M. A., Wilbanks, J. T., Beskow, L. M., Brelsford, K. M., Brothers, K. B., Doerr, M. & Tovino, S. A. (2020). Unregulated health research using mobile devices: Ethical considerations and policy recommendations. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 48(S1), 196-226. Web.