A1:    The virtual naked patient: privacy, confidentiality and security in the information age

Fleur Fisher MD. Independent Consultant in Ethics and Healthcare Practice and Director of Healthcare-Ethics (UK)

Target level: INTERMEDIATES

The aim of this tutorial is to raise awareness in participants that the protection of identifiable health data is an ethical imperative, a legal requirement and a complex risk management issue.

Objectives of tutorial are to:

• define the concepts of privacy, confidentiality and security in the management of personal healthcare data
• identify healthcare professionals’ responsibility re personal healthcare data - the ethical and legal protections for patient data
• review potential threats to healthcare professionals fulfilling their responsibilities effectively
• explore ways to protect personal healthcare data whilst enabling the delivery of high quality health care
• explore risks to privacy, confidentiality and security in the provision of healthcare in multi-agency and multi-professional settings
• enable participants to examine the privacy, confidentiality and security of their own patients’ healthcare data (or systems for which they are responsible if not healthcare practitioners) and write a brief for their follow-up actions back at base.

Methodology of Tutorial:

The tutorial will be participative, with an interactive opening session, some small group work, and a final session where the participants present the possible areas for improvement in their own handling of patient data, which they have identified during the tutorial.

The participants will be provided with hard copies of the overheads used in the presentation, plus copies of relevant statutes, legal judgements and ethical codes, and a reference and book list.