Privacy Control in Health Care

Uncertainty leads to Data Sharing Reluctance

Patients are more honest about the health investigations if they are sure about the privacy of their personal information. If they are confident about the level of privacy control over their health information to whom it will be shared with and for what purpose. This uncertainty makes them little reluctant to share the data in details. In order to make sure about the precision of the diagnosis of the disease, patients must be very comfortable with sharing details.

 

Data Usage Purposes

Patients never know their data is being shared and analyzed for different purposes without their permission. The data can be analyzed by any pharmaceutical company to determine the demand and supply of specific medicine. Researchers collect the data for the purpose of calculating the effectiveness of drugs and to find the need for new treatment methods. Or it can also be used by agencies to predict the viral disease.

Benefits of Records

Patients are unaware of the medical and economic benefits of their medical record can have. It would have been better if patients can choose their data to be shared with selective parties. Or they are asked before the data sharing of their identifiable medical information. On a lighter note, patients should have given the right to opt for the fair share of the medical and economic share of the benefits.

Financial Value of Medical Record

The financial worth of medical record is nothing for the patient if he/she would have given the choice to keep it confidential. It’s better to have enough knowledge of medical data market. Those who want to sell their medical record willingly should be compensated. But it is unethical to use and take benefits of patient’s medical records without their consent and share of benefit.

Conclusion

There is no better solution than realizing and acknowledging the need of patients control over privacy. Rather than focusing on health privacy issues, the focus should be diverted to the patient’s full control over the privacy of his medical data. With the technology integration with the medical field, it is possible to keep the patient in the loop in the medical information exchange system. The patient should be the center of the system. And the decision should be based on their will. It will allow patients to keep a track on their medical record, manage them and share them selectively or publically for medical or financial compensations. This is how to patient’s full privacy control on their medical data will be implemented.

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