Cyber security and data breaches are a constant threat when dealing with
portable devices and having patient hand facility information on them. In the
military we conduct annual training on how to use and safeguard organizational
data, and how to report missing devices. For Scenario 2, the best option is to
report the lost laptop as soon as possible and face the consequences. With this
early reporting the company might be able to remote erase the information, and
the penalty could be less. In 2015 the Texas Medical Association stated that the
number one reason for patient data breaches is from lost or stolen devices
(HIPAA: Are You Prepared for a lost Laptop or Smartphone? n.d.). With these
breaches it has cost in 2020 was $7.1M according to IBM (Average Cost of
Healthcare Data Breach Rises to $7.1M, according to IBM Report, n.d.).3
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With loss of health information if found by the wrong person it could be held for
ransom, patients could have their identities stolen, and facilities could be fined
for loss of patient information. In my personal experience the laptop is the
responsibility of the individual that checked it out from the facility, even though
the colleague was asked, it was my responsibility to safeguard the laptop. In
thinking about ethics and policy, the policy is to call tech support and report the
breach, this is a direct course of action that needs to be taken in this event. Ethics
will be how important I would view the lost laptop, and when will I decide to
report that it is missing. My colleague again isn’t responsible for anything that is
missing, even though I asked her to look after my items. For those that have been
inside an airport heard the saying, “do not leave your bags unattended, and don’t
take responsibility of any bags that are not yours”.
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If I disregard the organizations policy and wait to call IT while I look, this could
make the breach worst. The IT might not have enough time to wipe the system
clean before patient information is stolen. It will be easy to say it isn’t your fault
and that you believe you will find the item, but every minute that passes is a
potential for a major data breach. With a loss of electronic devices, we will have
our access revoked, we could also have our actioned questioned in that did we
lose the device or was sold. If the person that lost it has debt, or has bad
spending habits or been reprimanded before, it can be perceived that the loss was
intentional. This isn’t a good light to be viewed and could lead to loss of security
clearance if protocol isn’t followed. Loss of trust for an organization that handles
patient or company data, finances, and other high-level information could cost
not only loss of faith, but also employment.3
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References:
Average cost of healthcare data breach rises to $7.1M, according to IBM report.
(n.d.). FierceHealthcare. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/average-
cost-healthcare-data-breach-rises-to-7-1m-according-to-ibm-report
HIPAA: Are You Prepared for a Lost Laptop or Smartphone?3(n.d.).
Www.texmed.org. https://www.texmed.org/HIPAALostLaptop/
