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.
Institute for Medical Biometry and Informatics, Department of Medical Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Minne
M
van der Haak
Astrid Corinna
AC
Wolff
Volker
V
Mludek
Peter
P
Drings
Michael
M
Wannenmacher
Thomas
T
Wetter
D016494:Computer Security; D005858:Germany; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized