Which measure helps protect the privacy of health information on office computers?

Which measure helps protect the privacy of health information on office computers?

• A. Using data encryption software on office workstations
• B. Storing PHI on a shared drive without access controls
• C. Sending PHI via unsecured email
• D. Writing PHI on a whiteboard in view of others

Answer: (A)

Protecting health information on office computers hinges on making PHI unreadable to anyone who isn’t authorized. Using data encryption software on workstations does exactly that by turning PHI into an unreadable form unless the user has the decryption key. This protects data at rest on the device and helps prevent confidential information from being exposed if the computer is lost, stolen, or accessed by an unauthorized person, which is a key safeguard for PHI privacy. Storing PHI on a shared drive without access controls would let many people access the data; sending PHI via unsecured email exposes it in transit; and writing PHI on a whiteboard is visible to onlookers. Encryption on the workstation specifically addresses the risk of unauthorized access to data stored on the computer, making it the best fit among these options.

Protecting health information on office computers hinges on making PHI unreadable to anyone who isn’t authorized. Using data encryption software on workstations does exactly that by turning PHI into an unreadable form unless the user has the decryption key. This protects data at rest on the device and helps prevent confidential information from being exposed if the computer is lost, stolen, or accessed by an unauthorized person, which is a key safeguard for PHI privacy.

Storing PHI on a shared drive without access controls would let many people access the data; sending PHI via unsecured email exposes it in transit; and writing PHI on a whiteboard is visible to onlookers. Encryption on the workstation specifically addresses the risk of unauthorized access to data stored on the computer, making it the best fit among these options.