Ethical and Security Issues of Smartphone Use in Healthcare

Running head: NETWORK MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
NETWORK MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
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NETWORK MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS1
Introduction
Smart phones are seen to be utilised by the all nurses for promoting several
clinical communications as well as workflow within the hospitals. But this utilise of
smart phones in recording data of the patients mostly introduces a number of
ethical issues which are mainly related to the privacy of the patient. Despite a
number of restrictions within the policy of several hospitals, around 67% of all the
hospitals have been interviewed in a particular study which has reported very
clearly that almost all the staff nurses are seen to be utilising all of their personal
smartphones for several clinical sharing of information as well as work flow [5]. As a
result, it has been found that around 88% of all the hospitals are concerned to a
great extent with some kind of risks of security related to HIPAA [4]. The particular
study mainly reveals that all the nurses re sending the data of a number of patients
with the help of smartphones, although it is much more common with all the
doctors.
Identification of Issues
Around 6%-14% of the nurses are observed to be sending several text
messages, messaging based upon app as well as some picture messaging for
sending all the clinical information related to the patient all of their colleagues. Even
though, smartphones are really very much beneficial for several health care
facilities, a number risks can also be seen. There is a high possibility of security
breaches as well as compromised data of the patients which can further undermine
both the safety as well as the connectivity of the environments health care. If
maximum number if nurses are seen to be using their own personal smartphones
for both workflow as well as clinical communications, then all the nurses will be
surely violating all the federal laws especially the HIPAA and several policies of the
security of the hospital [1].
Analyse
Several reports say that if all the nurses are sending all the protected
information regarding health of several patients on their own smartphones in a way
which can be directly connected to any particular patient, then they are also
violating all the practice acts of nurse of the state. Sending all the protected
information regarding health may also lead to total loss of employment, fines as
well as sentenced to jail. A nurse may also lose her license of learning [6].
Evaluate
Several warnings have been given regarding both the protection as well as
the security of data which are sensitive and can also take a full new meaning while
dealing with the sensitive information of the patients. A single breach may be
potentially compromising around thousands of data of the patients and may leave
all of them vulnerable to a medical theft of identity. Researches have also described