John Bernadette, Heavin Ciara, Roberts Anthony
Department of Restorative Dentistry, Cork University Dental School and Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
School of Business, College of Business and Law, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Front Digit Health. 2025 Jan 6;6:1457848. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2024.1457848. eCollection 2024.
The ubiquity of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) personal smartphones, Instant Messaging (IM), and third-party apps, has made these technologies compelling for efficient communications between clinicians regarding patient care. However, the sensitivity of patient-related information necessitates secure, GDPR compliant modalities that prevent unauthorised access and ensure confidentiality. This scoping review explores existing guidelines, policies, and regulations that advise clinicians in the UK and Ireland on the secure use of these digital communication tools.
Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) updated Framework for Scoping Reviews and the PRISMA ScR guidelines, this review examines the literature to identify relevant guidelines, policies, and regulations informing current clinical practice on the use of this technology. Academic databases including OneSearch, Embase, EBSCO, PubMed, Medline, and CINAHL were searched, in addition to hand searches of professional entities' websites, including trade unions, regulators, two national health systems, and several employers. Direct inquiries were made to 69 professional entities via telephone, email, websites, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
The review identified 18 papers that broadly recognise the importance of secure communication however, a lack of information on the appropriate selection or configuration of these popular technologies was evident. Most guidelines emphasise general security and data protection standards rather than providing clear actionable recommendations for technology use, thereby leaving a significant gap in technical guidance for clinicians.
There is a distinct lack of detailed, specific, consistent technical guidance available to clinicians. This review evidences an urgent requirement for enhanced guidelines that specify the most secure platforms, appropriate features, and configuration to maximise the security and confidentiality of clinical communications. Further research is recommended to develop comprehensive, actionable advice for clinicians.
自带设备（BYOD）个人智能手机、即时通讯（IM）和第三方应用的广泛使用，使得这些技术在临床医生之间就患者护理进行高效沟通方面颇具吸引力。然而，患者相关信息的敏感性要求采用符合通用数据保护条例（GDPR）的安全模式，以防止未经授权的访问并确保保密性。本范围综述探讨了为英国和爱尔兰的临床医生提供有关这些数字通信工具安全使用建议的现有指南、政策和法规。
遵循乔安娜·布里格斯研究所（JBI）更新的范围综述框架和PRISMA ScR指南，本综述对文献进行审查，以确定为当前使用该技术的临床实践提供信息的相关指南、政策和法规。除了对包括工会、监管机构、两个国家卫生系统和几家雇主在内的专业实体网站进行手工检索外，还搜索了学术数据库，包括OneSearch、Embase、EBSCO、PubMed、Medline和CINAHL。通过电话、电子邮件、网站和X（前身为Twitter）直接向69个专业实体进行了咨询。
该综述确定了18篇论文，这些论文广泛认可安全通信的重要性，然而，明显缺乏关于这些流行技术的适当选择或配置的信息。大多数指南强调一般安全和数据保护标准，而不是为技术使用提供明确的可操作建议，从而在临床医生的技术指导方面留下了重大差距。
临床医生明显缺乏详细、具体、一致的技术指导。本综述表明迫切需要加强指南，明确最安全的平台、适当的功能和配置，以最大限度地提高临床通信的安全性和保密性。建议进一步开展研究，为临床医生制定全面、可操作的建议。
