The viewpoints of Saudi patients on privacy protection measures

2^nd International Conference on Health Informatics and Technology

July 27-29, 2015 Valencia, Spain

Weam Aljassim and Ahmed Albarrak

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Health Med Informat

Abstract :

Background: With todayâ??s advance in Information Technology (IT) solutions and the associated increase in collected data, individualâ??s privacy comes at risk. Public trust is crucial for any initiative and individuals need to be confident that their personal data are kept accurate and private. Privacy is a well-recognized notion in different cultures. Yet, different cultural settings have different perceptions and attitudes towards privacy. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the measures of privacy protection that make Saudi patients feel more confident about the handling of their private information. To the best of our knowledge, no similar study was conducted on the Saudi population. Materials & Methods: Using Q-Methodology, twenty-five respondents were given a set of twenty-five statements to rank according to their point of view using a sorting grid. The Q-sorts were then analyzed using a by-person factor analysis. Results: The subjects clustered into four groups of viewpoints on privacy protection approaches; data governance, patientempowerment, trust in provider, and distrust in the system. The data showed an association between the identified viewpoints and occupation of the participant but no association with other characteristics such as age, gender, education, health status, religion, and wealth. Conclusions: As the adoption of informatics solution in healthcare becomes more widespread, policy makers will need to ensure that patientsâ?? information remains safe. Recommendations for policy changes are discussed for the following areas, patient empowerment, written procedures on privacy practices, routine auditing and limits on access to healthcare information.