By using telecommunications and information technology healthcare professionals are able to provide healthcare services to patients from any location. Telemedicine dates back to Ancient Romans, Greeks, and American Indian tribes where signals were used to communicate information to communities from far distances. Telemedicine is an affordable and accessible practice that targets people, specifically in developing countries, who do not have immediate access to health care facilities. Immediate care delivered in the comfort of a user’s familiar surroundings makes telemedicine convenient for any patient. A variety of healthcare fields utilize this technology which includes, but is not limited to, Telepsychiatry, Teledermatology, and …show more content…
When hackers find breaks in technological security, privacy breaches may occur. These breaches may affect stored patient information and can destroy medical systems. Medical systems are also susceptible to malware, or software that is intended to harm a device. Malware tends to target areas that lack security, such as computers functioning on common operating systems, outdated software, lack of protection from antivirus, or email phishing. Patient health care is negatively impacted when there is a shift of focus from the patient to a security issue. A patient can be put at risk when medical devices are hacked, such as changing the dosage amount on a drug infusion pump. Healthcare facilities take preventative actions to protect their systems by updating devices and accessing social media at home instead of the …show more content…
Common privacy standards at healthcare facilities are limiting access to medical records, organizing medical records, and encrypting medical records. Many times information can be stolen by unauthorized people, and the information can be used for identity theft and fraud. The organization of medical records and encryption of medical records can prevent unauthorized access and the misplacement of medical information. If there is a privacy breach, federal law mandates that patients have a right to know. Privacy breaches are preventable, and healthcare facilities create precautions to maintain privacy and prevent expensive