title: Securing the transmission and storage of medical information.
abstract: The widespread use of computer-based patient records and the increased implementation of telecommunications has brought to the forefront the concern of patient confidentiality. Without adequate security measures, a patient's medical information may be intercepted, accessed, modified, or deleted by an unauthorized individual. Although no internal control is absolute, the use of encryption is a powerful tool to protect data. The authors describe how encryption works and its role in the web of internal controls that protect medical information systems in general and computer-based patient records in particular.
authors.affiliation: Department of Accounting and Information Systems, School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, USA. jlsjr@home.com
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sardinas
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Muldoon
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security; D003219:Confidentiality; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration*