Data security and protection in cross-institutional electronic patient records.
This paper describes data protection and data security requirements of a cross-institutional electronic patient record, and presents possible solutions for meeting these requirements. A comprehensive analysis of literature and legal documents was performed. Beside the general requirements that the EPR of a single institution must meet, specific requirements exist for cross-institutional EPRs. In Germany, patient information may only be revealed to external physicians within so-called "treatment connections". A secure connection between the EPR-systems of two health institutions in Germany, which jointly treat tumor patients, was established using additional SecuRemote Software. The development and implementation of a cross-institutional EPR is a complicated process, mainly due to data security regulations. However, its introduction is thought to be valuable, since a cross-institutional EPR will improve communication within shared care processes, and, thus, improve the quality of patient care.
van der Haak
Minne
M
Institute for Medical Biometry and Informatics, Department of Medical Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Wolff
Astrid Corinna
AC
Mludek
Volker
V
Drings
Peter
P
Wannenmacher
Michael
M
Wetter
Thomas
T
D016494:Computer Security; D005858:Germany; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized