There are significant legal and ethical ramifications with the rising usage of technology in healthcare settings. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is one law passed to safeguard patient confidentiality (Cohen & Mello, 2018). The Protected Health Information (PHI) Act establishes national standards for the protection of individuals’ health information and mandates that covered organizations implement specific administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to guarantee the privacy, integrity, and availability of PHI.
The possible influence on patient privacy and confidentiality is one of the most critical ethical consequences of using technology in the healthcare sector. Sensitive health information may be compromised or disclosed without patient authorization as healthcare organizations depend increasingly on electronic health records (EHRs) and other digital platforms to store and communicate patient information (Cohen & Mello, 2018). Ethical severe issues with respect to autonomy, informed consent, and the right to privacy could result from this.
The use of technology in the healthcare sector also has significant legal ramifications. Technical safeguards for electronic data, administrative requirements for access control, and physical safeguards for electronic systems are all part of the standards and regulations for PHI protection established by HIPAA (Moore & Frye, 2019). If the covered entities do not follow these guidelines, they risk harsh legal consequences, such as fines and other sanctions (Naik et al., 2022). One of the main difficulties facing healthcare companies is the need to strike a balance between the advantages of employing technology to improve patient care and outcomes and the need to safeguard patient privacy and comply with legal and ethical duties (Moore & Frye, 2019). This necessitates a methodical and thorough approach to implementing technology and the creation of rules and processes to guarantee that patient information is stored, shared, and used by relevant laws and ethical standards.
In general, utilizing technology in the healthcare sector can greatly enhance patient outcomes and care quality. Healthcare organizations must, however, carefully evaluate the ethical and legal ramifications of utilizing technology in the provision of treatment and take the necessary precautions to safeguard patient privacy and adhere to current laws and regulations. Healthcare organizations may successfully negotiate the legal and ethical obstacles of employing technology to enhance the delivery of high-quality patient care by carefully planning, providing appropriate training, and developing policies.
References
Cohen, I. G., & Mello, M. M. (2018). HIPAA and Protecting health information in the 21st century. JAMA, 320(3), 231. Web.
Moore, W., & Frye, S. (2019). Review of HIPAA, part 1: History, protected health information, and privacy and security rules. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 47(4), 269–272. Web.
Naik, N., Hameed, B. M. Z., Shetty, D. K., Swain, D., Shah, M., Paul, R., Aggarwal, K., Ibrahim, S., Patil, V., Smriti, K., Shetty, S., Rai, B. P., Chlosta, P., & Somani, B. K. (2022). Legal and ethical consideration in artificial intelligence in healthcare: Who takes responsibility?Frontiers in Surgery, 9. Web.