Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security
Lecture:Definitions of privacy, confidentiality, and security
Slide content:Definitions Privacy The right to be left alone The right to keep personal information secret The right to control personal information Confidentiality Sharing or disseminating data only to those with a need to know Security Mechanisms to assure the safety of data and systems in which the data reside 5
Slide notes:Privacy is the individuals right to keep information to himself or herself. It is the right to be left alone, the right to keep personal information secret, and in essence, the right to control personal information. Confidentiality , by contrast, is the individuals right to keep information about himself or herself from being disclosed to other people. When a patient vests confidentiality in a physician and a health care system, it is expected that personal information is kept confidential and not disclosed to others. Data is shared or disseminated only to those with a need to know. Security is the activity of protecting personal information. It consists of mechanisms to assure the safety of data and the systems in which the data reside. Security should address the physical security of the buildings, equipment, and storage media as well as the data and informational assets retained by all health care organizations. 5