A Holistic Approach to Patient Privacy: A Current Review Covering Ethical, Technological, and Educational Dimensions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17456265Keywords:
Patient Privacy, Confidentiality, Health Data, Ethics, Technological Solutions, Education, Electronic Health RecordsAbstract
In medicine, privacy is a fundamental right that ensures the confidentiality of patients' health data. In today's rapidly digitizing world, the increasing complexity of collecting, storing, and sharing health data has made privacy a critical priority. Since healthcare services contain highly personal and sensitive information, any breach in this area can lead to severe consequences.
The historical roots of privacy in healthcare can be traced back to the Hippocratic Oath, which explicitly states the physician's obligation to keep patient secrets. As modern medicine has advanced, so have patient-physician relationships and medical record-keeping practices. This evolution has made it necessary to strengthen privacy principles through robust legal and ethical regulations. The widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in the late 20th and early 21st centuries introduced new challenges to patient privacy. Today, comprehensive legal frameworks, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), have been established in many countries to protect personal and health data.
Protecting patient information is not just a legal requirement; it's a core ethical principle of professional healthcare. This review takes a holistic approach to patient privacy, examining it from ethical, technological, and educational perspectives. Current risks like data breaches and privacy concerns related to artificial intelligence applications pose new threats to health data. To counter these, technological solutions such as encryption and anonymization are becoming increasingly important. Furthermore, it is crucial to enhance the knowledge and awareness of healthcare professionals regarding privacy. Educational programs are essential for this purpose. This review aims to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of patient privacy for healthcare administrators, professionals, and patients alike.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Resul Yilmaz , Elif Feyzanur Arslan, Muhammed Zahid Gencay
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