Project description:The storage of facial images in medical records poses privacy risks due to the sensitive nature of the personal biometric information that can be extracted from such images. To minimize these risks, we developed a new technology, called the digital mask (DM), which is based on three-dimensional reconstruction and deep-learning algorithms to irreversibly erase identifiable features, while retaining disease-relevant features needed for diagnosis. In a prospective clinical study to evaluate the technology for diagnosis of ocular conditions, we found very high diagnostic consistency between the use of original and reconstructed facial videos (κ ≥ 0.845 for strabismus, ptosis and nystagmus, and κ = 0.801 for thyroid-associated orbitopathy) and comparable diagnostic accuracy (P ≥ 0.131 for all ocular conditions tested) was observed. Identity removal validation using multiple-choice questions showed that compared to image cropping, the DM could much more effectively remove identity attributes from facial images. We further confirmed the ability of the DM to evade recognition systems using artificial intelligence-powered re-identification algorithms. Moreover, use of the DM increased the willingness of patients with ocular conditions to provide their facial images as health information during medical treatment. These results indicate the potential of the DM algorithm to protect the privacy of patients' facial images in an era of rapid adoption of digital health technologies.
Project description:BackgroundAs electronic health records (EHRs) become ubiquitous in the health care industry, privacy breaches are increasing and being made public. These breaches may make consumers wary of the technology, undermining its potential to improve care coordination and research.ObjectiveGiven the developing concerns around privacy of personal health information stored in digital format, it is important for providers to understand how views on privacy and security may be associated with patient disclosure of health information. This study aimed to understand how privacy concerns may be shifting patient behavior.MethodsUsing a pooled cross-section of data from the 2011 and 2014 cycles of the Health Information and National Trends Survey (HINTS), we tested whether privacy and security concerns, as well as quality perceptions, are associated with the likelihood of withholding personal health information from a provider. A fully interacted multivariate model was used to compare associations between the 2 years, and interaction terms were used to evaluate trends in the factors that are associated with withholding behavior.ResultsNo difference was found regarding the effect of privacy and security concerns on withholding behavior between 2011 and 2014. Similarly, whereas perceived high quality of care was found to reduce the likelihood of withholding information from a provider in both 2011 (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-0.94) and 2014 (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.48-0.76), no difference was observed between years.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that consumers' beliefs about EHR privacy and security, the relationship between technology use and quality, and intentions to share information with their health care provider have not changed. These findings are counter to the ongoing discussions about the implications of security failures in other domains. Our results suggest that providers could ameliorate privacy and security by focusing on the care quality benefits EHRs provide.
Project description:The popularity of social media has increased users' social visibility. However, users' limited ability to control information spread could compromise privacy. People care about how others perceive them. We examined people's concerns for others' evaluations on their behaviors under different degrees of privacy conditions. Using a variant of the dictator game, we induced dictators to self-select into pro-self or pro-social types and asked recipients to give written evaluations of the dictators. We varied the degree of personal information privacy by making the written content known to the corresponding dictators only, all dictators, or either of them with equal chance. Also, the dictators could avoid receiving the message at a price. We showed that pro-self dictators' willingness to pay to conceal messages decreased when information privacy diminished. Thus, results indicated that image concerns wane in an environment where information privacy is weak. Our results contribute to understanding of the privacy paradox.
Project description:BackgroundPrivacy concerns by providers have been a barrier to disclosing patient information for public health purposes. This is the case even for mandated notifiable disease reporting. In the context of a pandemic it has been argued that the public good should supersede an individual's right to privacy. The precise nature of these provider privacy concerns, and whether they are diluted in the context of a pandemic are not known. Our objective was to understand the privacy barriers which could potentially influence family physicians' reporting of patient-level surveillance data to public health agencies during the Fall 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza outbreak.MethodsThirty seven family doctors participated in a series of five focus groups between October 29-31 2009. They also completed a survey about the data they were willing to disclose to public health units. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the amount of patient detail the participants were willing to disclose, factors that would facilitate data disclosure, and the consensus on those factors. The analysis of the qualitative data was based on grounded theory.ResultsThe family doctors were reluctant to disclose patient data to public health units. This was due to concerns about the extent to which public health agencies are dependable to protect health information (trusting beliefs), and the possibility of loss due to disclosing health information (risk beliefs). We identified six specific actions that public health units can take which would affect these beliefs, and potentially increase the willingness to disclose patient information for public health purposes.ConclusionsThe uncertainty surrounding a pandemic of a new strain of influenza has not changed the privacy concerns of physicians about disclosing patient data. It is important to address these concerns to ensure reliable reporting during future outbreaks.
Project description:BackgroundHealth care providers are driven by greater participation and systemic cost savings irrespective of benefits to individual patients derived from sharing Personal Health Information (PHI). Protecting PHI is a critical issue in the sharing of health care information systems; yet, there is very little literature examining the topic of sharing PHI electronically. A good overview of the regulatory, privacy, and societal barriers to sharing PHI can be found in the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.ObjectiveThis study investigated the factors that influence individuals' intentions to share their PHI electronically with health care providers, creating an understanding of how we can represent a patient's interests more accurately in sharing settings, instead of treating patients like predetermined subjects. Unlike privacy concern and trust, patient activation is a stable trait that is not subject to change in the short term and, thus, is a useful factor in predicting sharing behavior. We apply the extended privacy model in the health information sharing context and adapt this model to include patient activation and issue involvement to predict individuals' intentions.MethodsThis was a survey-based study with 1600+ participants using the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data to validate a model through various statistical techniques. The research method included an assessment of both the measurement and structural models with post hoc analysis.ResultsWe find that privacy concern has the most influence on individuals' intentions to share. Patient activation, issue involvement, and patient-physician relationship are significant predictors of sharing intention. We contribute to theory by introducing patient activation and issue involvement as proxies for personal interest factors in the health care context.ConclusionsOverall, this study found that although patients are open to sharing their PHI, they still have concerns over the privacy of their PHI during the sharing process. It is paramount to address this factor to increase information flow and identify how patients can assure that their privacy is protected. The outcome of this study is a set of recommendations for motivating the sharing of PHI. The goal of this research is to increase the health profile of the patients by integrating the testing and diagnoses of various doctors across health care providers and, thus, bring patients closer to the physicians.
Project description:BackgroundDigital Health Technologies (DHTs) offer numerous health benefits but raise ethical and security concerns about patient health data among health professionals due to potential security breaches. This study explores the ethical, patient safety, and security issues concerning healthcare professionals using DHTs in hospitals in Ghana.MethodsThe study used a mixed method design, including a descriptive survey and in-depth interviews with health professionals in 3 tertiary hospitals, between July and September 2022, with thematic content analysis using QSR NVivo 12 software. The descriptive survey was analyzed using Stata 15 to produce percentages, means, and standard deviations.ResultsA total of 369 health professionals participated in the study. Disclosure of health data on DHTs without consent from patients 299 (81.03%) was the most frequently mentioned concern. The most often raised concern was the disclosure of the patient. Overall, 298(80.76%) health professionals worried about safety issues relating to the use of the DHTs. On occasion, staff members neglect to log out of the system, which compromises all the security measures in place. Other factors such as system unavailable due to unplanned shutdown affected patient safety.ConclusionHealth professionals are concerned about patient information confidentiality and security. They believe staff access to patient information should be on a "need-to-know basis," and safety policies be periodically updated to prevent human behavior from compromising security measures.
Project description:This study used an advertising campaign focused on the Real ID card to explore the relationship between privacy concerns and information sharing through adoption of the new form of identification. Online surveys were conducted to assess the impact of campaign ads promoting the Real ID, and to determine whether privacy concerns were a barrier to its adoption. At post-test, an ordinal regression analysis of data from registered voters in Montana (n = 302) showed a positive association between the time spent viewing the ads on social media and intent to obtain the Real ID, but no relationship between privacy concerns and Real ID intentions. To date, the states and territories have issued approximately 110 million Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards, representing 40 percent of all driver’s licenses and identification card holders. Montana, one of the states originally most resistant to the 2005 security act, lags only slightly behind with 20 percent of drivers and ID card-holders having Real IDs. This research shows that privacy concerns about a new technology or identification system, such as the Real ID, can erode over time. Whether these changes are due to mounting privacy apathy triggered by the public’s perceived lack of control, or a willingness to sacrifice some privacy for national security in the face of rising terrorist threats needs to be researched further. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12198-023-00258-0.