mligon1

Elizabeth, It is interesting that St. Jude was using biometrics. I'm not surprised since it is a state of the art research hospital which tends to be up on the latest technology. I think biometrics in a medication room is useful. I'm assuming the nurse used her fingerprint in a medication room away from patients and other people. In that case, biometrics would be efficient. I don't know how I feel about biometrics being used in a patient's room on something like a PCA pump, because it does pose the threat of someone trying to lift fingerprints off a machine while the nurse is away. Maybe I'm paranoid or have watched too many episodes of Criminal Minds, but I believe people are capable of anything. When it comes to sensitive personal information, there can never be enough caution taken especially in a healthcare environment.

Pam, I really the part in your post "It would be hard even after such disclosure, however, to say that an employee has truly given "consent" for his/her data to be processed if the use of a biometric system is not given as a choice, but is rather the only option." I hadn't thought about that. If a hospital is to enforce biometrics, people would have to give consent for their personal information to be used but if they don't have a choice is it violating a person' rights. A person has autonomy. By a hospital enforcing biometrics, it would take away a person's autonomy about their body. I understand appropriate security measures would have to be put in place, but how can that be guaranteed? Don't most companies have the "appropriate measures in place" to protect people's information, yet companies have security breaches all the time. Look at Target. They had a security breach and responded slowly even though people's personal information was stolen such as bank account and social security numbers. If biometrics get stolen, how can you change the system quickly enough so people's person information is safe?

I think hospitals using biometrics for the purpose of allowing access to electronic health records has its advantages. It would help increase security of very sensitive information. It would reduce the problem of forgotten passwords and lost IDs. It would not allow people to share their access to electronic health records with someone else. While a password can be shared with other people, a fingerprint cannot be shared with another person. Biometrics would hold a person responsible for the information that he or she puts in a patient’s chart. It would prevent healthcare professionals from being able to chart for a co-worker. On the other hand, biometrics for employees to be allowed access to electronic health records has its disadvantages. Biometrics brings up a range of privacy uses. It seems very “Big Brother”. Every time a person uses biometrics, some type of database will most likely track them. If fingerprints are used for access and a security breach occurs, how would you put in a new system? You can’t change your fingerprint. A password can be changed if there is a security breach but a fingerprint is physically apart of a person and it specifically unique to each individual. You would have to physically alter a person’s body to change a fingerprint on a person. Also, safety becomes an issue with biometrics. Criminals could cut off a person’s finger or cut out a person’s eyeball. There are people out there who spend all their time trying to hack into systems and if hospitals switch to biometrics, these people will use any resource available to breach the system. Biometrics poses a great risk if breached. People’s personal information will be exposed to the world and this information is not as easily changeable as something as simple as a password.