The first article I found is from the American Psychiatric Association
(APA) and it discusses the growing use of mobile mental health apps
and how to use them ethically. Technological advancements in
healthcare have changed the way patients manage their care and
when coupled with the Covid pandemic, telehealth visits and mobile
apps have become increasingly popular. According to the article,
"there are over 325,000 apps to choose from across all health
domains," which raises many questions and concerns regarding which
app is the most appropriate to use, the ethics surrounding mobile
health apps, and how to effectively use these apps in treatment,
especially when providing mental health care. The APA has
developed a model for providers and patients to use to evaluate
which apps would be best suited for the patient and their needs.
The article goes on to discuss legal and ethical issues surrounding
mental health apps, and the point I found most interesting is the
importance of a discussion between the provider and patient as to
how adding a mobile app to the treatment process will change the
dynamics of the traditional patient-provider relationship. The app
should not be used for serious and/or emergent correspondence and
the provider needs to set boundaries so that the patient is aware that
the provider won't be monitoring the app at all times. It is also
imperative that the provider and patient understand that the app is
to act as an aid to the overall treatment and not a replacement in any
aspect.
The second article I chose discusses some statistics of healthcare
data breaches in 2021, and ways to prevent these breaches of PHI.
Cyberattacks hit a record high in 2021, affecting 45 million
individuals which was up from 34 million in 2020. The article
continues by listing some potential reasons for the surge in data
breaches and one that I hadn't heard before was the fact that IT
departments are also stretched thin due to staffing issues caused by
the pandemic. This staffing shortage could lead to issues with
keeping up on routine security measures, essentially causing an
organization to "let their guard down." The author suggests that for
organizations to build up their defenses they need to implement a
comprehensive risk management program and pair up with a
reputable cybersecurity company to manage incursion detection and
response plans.
References
How to use mobile mental health apps ethically. (2021). Psychiatric
News, 56(01). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.1.38
Landi, H. (2022, February 1). Healthcare data breaches hit all-time high
in 2021, impacting 45M people. Fierce Healthcare. Retrieved June 2,
2022, from https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/health-
tech/healthcare-data-breaches-hit-all-time-high-2021-impacting-
45m-people
