Protecting reproductive health information in the post-Roe era: interoperability strategies for healthcare institutions. (26th October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khanna, Raman R; Murray, Sara G; Wen, Timothy; Salmeen, Kirsten; Illangasekare, Tushani; Benfield, Nerys; Adler-Milstein, Julia; Savage, Lucia
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Volume 30:Number 1(2023)
• Page Start: 161
• Page End: 166
• Publication Date: 2022-10-26
• Subjects: reproductive rights -- post-Roe -- abortion -- pregnancy -- interoperability; Medical informatics -- Periodicals; Information Services -- Periodicals; Medical Informatics -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Informatica; Geneeskunde; Informatique médicale; Computer network resources; Electronic journals; 610.285
• DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocac194
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1067-5027

Abstract

Abstract: On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion, resulting in wide variability in access from severe restrictions in many states and fewer restrictions in others. Healthcare institutions capture information about patients' pregnancy and abortion care and, due to interoperability, may share it in ways that expose their providers and patients to social stigma and potential legal jeopardy in states with severe restrictions. In this article, we describe sources of risk to patients and providers that arise from interoperability and specify actions that institutions can take to reduce that risk. Institutions have significant power to define their practices for how and where care is documented, how patients are identified, where data are sent or hosted, and how patients are counseled, and thus should protect patients' privacy and ability to receive medical care that is safe and legal where it is performed.