In the competitive world of healthcare, it is important that organizations establish data security measures to protect a patient’s confidentiality and privacy. Electronic health records (EHRs) must be protected against unauthorized users to prevent the misuse of protected health information (PHI). Health care organizations must protect their information systems from a variety of potential threats. This can include “intentional or unintentional damage to hardware, software, or data or misuse of the organization’s hardware, software, or data” (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2009, p. 252). This paper will review two data security articles and describe the measures being used, how they were being used and how effective they were.
Security Measures and How They Were Used
More and more organizations are using EHRs, as its use continues to grow so does the number of users. According to Gardiner (2015), “The healthcare sector experienced 340 percent more information security incidents and attacks than other industries due to the proliferation of electronic health records with sensitive data” (p.1). In the articles reviewed, the organizations have chosen to employ the following security measures; laptop and device encryption, internal content filtering, email encryption, access management, and social media policy and guidelines, and the use of an enterprise software company.
Laptop, Device and Email Encryption All devices like laptops, desktops, and smartphones should be encrypted. The user must be cautious not to download or save sensitive data to devices that are not encrypted. The organization has decided to establish a hospital policy that requires the staff to encrypt their devices and to provide proof that all devices are encrypted. Emails can be prone to disclosing PHI. The organization has chosen to encrypt emails to protect information that is in transit.

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