There are a number of ethical issues that arise when concerning storing electronic information about individuals, primarily in the area of Electronic Health Records (EHR’s). One issue that can arise is privacy and confidentiality. Privacy is the right of an individual to keep information about themselves from being disclosed to others. It isn’t right for a medical institution to have a patient’s medical records public, because that patient could feel embarrassed or face discrimination.
Another issue that arises is security breaches. Security breaches threaten a patient’s right to privacy. When a patient’s health information is made available to others without the patient’s consent or authorization, it threatens that patient’s right to privacy. Therefore, it is important that medical institutions take the precautions necessary to prevent a security breach. Security measures like firewalls and antivirus software, and having policies and procedures in place are all necessary to prevent a security breach of patients’ private medical information.
Data inaccuracies is another issue that can arise. EHR’s were created to improve a patients safety by reducing healthcare errors and disparities, and improve public health. There have been concerns, however, that EHRs are inaccurate and unreliable. During data transfer, data can be lost or even destroyed. It is important that medical institutions make improvements to electronic health records to limit inaccuracies and help make them more reliable.
One more ethical issue that arises is consent. Consent is when a person voluntarily agrees to participate in an evaluation, where personal data and information are acquired. Essentially, giving consent is like giving permission. Some online stores use personal data, like your birthdate or where you live, to help better your shopping experience, but only collect it unless you give them your consent. Without giving consent, it isn’t fair and is also illegal for a company to know/use your personal information. An individual or company shouldn’t be allowed to know personal things about yourself, like birthdates, where you live, bank information, etc.
https://www.promptcloud.com/blog/importance-of-ethical-data-collection/