Confidentiality policies in EMIS Web play a crucial role in safeguarding patients' personal data while ensuring that authorised clinicians and administrative staff can access necessary medical records when required. Each practice must appoint a Privacy Officer or Data Protection Officer responsible for data protection compliance.
What are Confidentiality Policies?
Confidentiality policies in EMIS Web are flags assigned to data items or entire patient records. These policies restrict access to specified work groups, which include certain job categories, ensuring only authorised personnel can view sensitive information.
- Policies can be applied to entire patient records or individual items (e.g., specific medical events).
- Standard policies include 'Clinician Only', 'Doctor Only', and 'Mental Health Professionals'.
How Confidentiality Policies are Managed
Users within designated work groups can apply these policies and view the covered information without restrictions. Users outside these groups can see that a confidentiality policy is in place, but cannot access the covered information unless they have specific permissions.
The Role of RBAC and Work Groups
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) settings manage who can apply, override, or remove confidentiality policies. Only users with certain RBAC activities in their role profile can manage these policies. An override of a confidentiality policy, in cases of necessity, is logged and notified to key personnel, maintaining an audit trail for accountability.
"EMIS Web's confidentiality settings empower practices to protect sensitive patient data while enabling compliant data access for authorised staff."
Why Are These Policies Important?
The implementation of confidentiality policies ensures compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements and enhances patient trust by protecting their medical data. Additionally, the policies facilitate regulatory compliance by controlling and auditing access to sensitive patient information.
