Ongoing safety precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced millions of people to embrace a new reality, regardless of their profession: working from home.
Medical employees face unique challenges when doing so. Their remote technology must not only meet HIPAA security and privacy requirements but also accommodate the needs of diverse patient populations seeking acute and ongoing care.
Healthcare IT teams are pivoting quickly to adopt new teleworking technologies that facilitate direct patient treatment and support back-end office functions. These teams bear significant responsibility for protecting patient information, regardless of the locations where clinicians and staff are working.
Shifts and best practices carried out today will ensure continuity during a crisis, but they’ll also likely influence the future of telemedicine as public health guidelines and patient expectations place a greater value on remote work.
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Let’s take a look at some advice for technologists.
1. Set Clear Rules for Remote Use of Healthcare Tools
Remember, healthcare providers are not IT experts. While they understand and support the need to protect the confidentiality of patient information, they don’t necessarily know how to achieve that goal. They’re also incredibly busy as they care for patients and manage their own families during a public health crisis.
The burden on IT teams, then, is to provide clear and concise guidance for practitioners to use the systems and tools at their disposal in a secure manner.
When developing this guidance, think in terms of clear, step-by-step processes that simply tell providers what to do. Don’t offer vague advice or too many options. Tell them what tools are approved for work use and how they may (and may not) use those tools in different circumstances.
Source: Healthtech Magazine