Department of Mental Health, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2011;39(4):571-8.
The Internet has grown into a world of its own, and its ethereal space now offers capabilities that could aid physicians in their duties in numerous ways. In recent years software functions have moved from the individual's local hardware to a central server that operates from a remote location. This centralization is called cloud computing. Privacy laws that speak to the protection of patient confidentiality are complex and often difficult to understand in the context of an ever-growing cloud-based technology. This article is a review of the legal background of protected health records, as well as cloud technology and physician applications. An attempt is made to integrate both concepts and examine Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance for each of the examples discussed. The legal regulations that may inform care and standards of practice are reviewed, and the difficulties that arise in assessment and monitoring of the current situation are analyzed. For forensic psychiatrists who may be asked to provide expert opinions regarding malpractice situations pertaining to confidentiality standards, it is important to become acquainted with the new digital language from which these questions may arise.
互联网已经发展成为一个自成一体的世界，其虚拟空间现在提供了许多可能以多种方式帮助医生履行职责的功能。近年来，软件功能已经从个人的本地硬件转移到了一个从远程位置运行的中央服务器上。这种集中化被称为云计算。涉及保护患者机密性的隐私法非常复杂，并且在不断发展的基于云的技术背景下往往难以理解。本文回顾了受保护的健康记录的法律背景，以及云技术和医生应用程序。试图将这两个概念整合起来，并为讨论的每个示例检查《健康保险携带和责任法案》（HIPAA）的合规性。审查了可能影响护理和实践标准的法规，并分析了评估和监测当前情况所出现的困难。对于可能被要求就与保密标准有关的医疗事故情况提供专家意见的法医精神病学家来说，熟悉可能由此产生这些问题的新的数字语言非常重要。
