Ethics

Jasmine Cunningham Simmons

Professor Brown

Ethics PHI 2600

October 26, 2013

The Ethics for Health Information Technology Managers in Protecting Client Confidentiality

The aim of this paper is to assess the necessary steps to protect a client’s confidentiality. It is approached from a socio-ethical perspective with specific emphasis on the implication for the health information profession. The issues that will be addressed are the requirements for confidentiality and the influence of technology on the processing of protecting private information. The relevance of this influence and proposed solutions to these ethical issues for the health information profession will also be discussed.

Health Information Technology Managers also known as (HIM) are professionals that are responsible for maintaining, caring and securing the privacy of client and/or patient information. They also ensure patient’s records are accurate, and organized. Previously, client information was maintained in paper files, in a file room, in one location. In today’s society, the majority of client information is kept in some form of electronic storage. The use of computer technology is very common. Now Advances in technology, including computerized medical databases, the Internet, and telehealth, have opened the door to potential, unintentional breaches of private/confidential health information. The HIM professional has an obligation to demonstrate actions that reflect values, ethical principles, and ethical guidelines. 

There are a number of practical guidelines, based on ethical norms that can be followed. It relates thus to the question of what is good or bad in terms of human actions. According to Spinello (1995, p. 14) the purpose of ethics is to help us behave honorably and attain those basic goods that make us more fully human. (give list of ethical practical guidelines)

The meaning of patient confidentiality is that personal and medical information that are provided to the...