Personally Identifiable Information
If certain specific criteria were to be omitted, then this should leave the information too vague and generalized to be harmful, or it would seem. Removal of the information, but maintaining access to a complete database as a reference, would still allow for that individual to be identified. Because of this, there must be a standard for electronic medical records, from a legal standpoint. “There is no black and white definition across the health care industry of what constitutes a legal EMR”, as stated by Sheila K. Nicholson, “this requires the physical therapy clinic or department to determine, before printing, what information is to be included. (Richardson, 2011) ” Websites visited, information openly sent via the Internet and even electronic data stored on a hard drive can provide a wide range of personally identifiable information. We do our best to protect ourselves from providing too much information but we are not always successful. At times, information you provide can be recorded as a public record and pose a potential risk to identity theft. In the end, however, it all comes down to the user protecting his or herself and always being cognizant of one question: Am I being watched?
References
Articles.CNN. (2001, November 7). Retrieved from CNN.Tech: