Safeguarding patient records has always been a major concern for hospitals, but it has taken on added importance with increasing computerization that makes it easier for employees to browse medical charts, usually to check on the condition of a fellow worker, friend, or neighbor. In an effort to make records more secure, two hospitals--the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, and Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA--have included an audit trail in their computer security systems to let them know who is accessing them. Such methods to safeguard electronic records and better protect patients' privacy were strongly recommended in March 1997 by a panel of the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. In this report, we'll present details of how these hospitals are proceeding.
保护患者记录一直是医院的主要关注点，但随着计算机化程度的提高，这一问题变得更加重要，因为计算机化使员工更容易浏览病历，通常是为了查看同事、朋友或邻居的病情。为了使记录更加安全，两家医院——位于麦迪逊的威斯康星大学医院及诊所和位于马萨诸塞州波士顿的贝斯以色列女执事医疗中心——在其计算机安全系统中加入了审计跟踪功能，以便了解谁在访问这些记录。1997年3月，美国国家科学院下属的国家研究委员会的一个小组强烈推荐了此类保护电子记录和更好地保护患者隐私的方法。在本报告中，我们将详细介绍这些医院的进展情况。
