According to the survey, 45 percent of patients are either “very” or “moderately” concerned about a security breach, defined by Software Advice as medical records and/or insurance information being accessed without consent and potentially resulting in identity theft.
Of those patients who indicated concern, 47 percent said they were worried about becoming the victim of fraud or identity theft. However, just 8 percent of surveyed patients said they “always” read the provided Notice of Privacy Practices when visiting a physician. Thirteen percent of respondents said they “often” read them.
Interestingly, just 10 percent of respondents said they were “very confident” that they understand their physician’s security policies.
Patient engagement and proactive education may help alleviate these fears and concerns for patients, such as providing NPPs in plain language or physicians outlining security policies and procedures directly to patients.
More articles on patient privacy:
Fear of data breaches leads 21% of patients to withhold information from physicians
Hillary Clinton’s email snafu highlights insider threats to cybersecurity
Medical College of Wisconsin reports breach after laptop stolen from physician’s car
