Construction of a Diabetes Database and Pilot Evaluation of iKey Controlled GP – Patient Access

The rapid advance of information technology in health settings has accentuated the importance of addressing the shortcomings of current health information system security practices. In recent times, health services have often had difficulty in complying with elements of robust security frameworks. This matter is made worse by the regulatory gap between implementing new and emerging information and communication technology (ICT), and managing the security risk the latter represents. Other problems include poor data quality and fragmentation, budgetary constraints, irreconcilable systems architecture, a history of incompatible data standards, confusing privacy jurisdictions and a lack of access to proven evaluation results. This paper argues that it is of crucial importance that technology innovation in health is accompanied by the development of generalisable operational paradigms for establishing secure hospital information systems (HIS). Examples from Australia are presented, together with a synthesis of the literature about HIS security, as a means of providing a foundation for constructing methodical frameworks for use across the sector. The paper also charts the evolution of Australian health privacy legislation over recent decades. The work concludes by outlining a current effort that explores useful ways of developing tools for health services which incorporate standards and legal frameworks.