Wearable devices and healthcare: Data sharing and privacy. Issue 1 (1st January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Banerjee, Syagnik (Sy); Hemphill, Thomas; Longstreet, Phil
• Is Part Of: Information society. Volume 34:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 49
• Page End: 57
• Publication Date: 2018-01-01
• Subjects: HIPAA -- informed consent -- Internet of Things -- privacy -- regulatory policy -- wearables; Technology -- Social aspects; Information storage and retrieval systems -- Social aspects; Information science -- Periodicals; Sciences de l'information -- Périodiques; 303.483
• DOI: 10.1080/01972243.2017.1391912
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0197-2243

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Wearable devices introduce many new capabilities to the delivery of healthcare. But wearables also pose grave privacy risks. Furthermore, information overload gets in the way of informed consent by the patient. To better protect American patients in an increasingly digital world, the U.S. Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This article examines the adequacy of HIPAA vis-à-vis issues raised by wearable technologies in the Internet of Things environment and identifies policy gaps and factors that drive health data exposure. It presents a 2 × 2 Partnership-Identity Exposure Matrix, illustrates implications in four different contexts, and provides recommendations for improving privacy protection.