Ethical assessment of privacy breaches in epidemiological investigations and information disclosure in the internet age: safeguarding identity information for infectious patients

While the Internet has brought convenience and speed to human life, it has also led to frequent privacy violations. In the context of epidemiological investigations and information disclosure regarding confirmed Covid-19 patients, many individuals have utilized the Internet as a means to disseminate information and engage in cyber manhunts, resulting in breaches of privacy for those involved. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent within the realm of the Internet, where the boundaries of privacy invasion become blurred. Various types of privacy infringements, both active and passive negligence, are evident on social networking platforms. The juxtaposition of the virtual world of the Internet with real-life scenarios presents novel challenges in the realm of privacy violations. The Internet era, coupled with the widespread use and integration of big data, has diminished the absolute right to privacy on the Internet. This paper examines the challenge of safeguarding the identity information of infectious patients through the lens of two theoretical frameworks -Kantianism and Utilitarianism- in an effort to address this ethical dilemma.

Aunque Internet ha aportado comodidad y rapidez a la vida humana, también ha dado lugar a frecuentes violaciones de la intimidad. En el contexto de las investigaciones epidemiológicas y la divulgación de información relativa a pacientes confirmados de covid-19, muchas personas han utilizado Internet como medio para difundir información y participar en cibercacerías, lo que ha dado lugar a violaciones en la intimidad de los implicados. Este fenómeno prevalece en el ámbito de Internet, donde los límites de la invasión de la intimidad se vuelven vagos. En las redes sociales, se manifiestan diversos tipos de violaciones de la intimidad, tanto por negligencia activa como pasiva. La yuxtaposición entre el mundo virtual de Internet con escenarios de la vida real plantea nuevos retos en el ámbito de las violaciones de la intimidad. La era de Internet, junto con el uso generalizado y la integración del bigdata, han mermado el derecho absoluto a la privacidad. Este artículo examina el reto de salvaguardar la información sobre la identidad de los pacientes infecciosos a través de la lente de dos marcos teóricos -el kantianismo y el utilitarismo- en un esfuerzo por abordar este dilema ético.

Enquanto a Internet trouxe conveniência e velocidade à vida humana, ela também levou a frequentes violações da privacidade. No contexto de investigações epidemiológicas e divulgação de informações em relação a pacientes confirmados de Covid-19, muitos indivíduos utilizaram a Internet como um meio para disseminar informação e participar de uma caçada cibernética, resultando em violações da privacidade para aqueles envolvidos. Esse fenômeno é particularmente prevalente no âmbito da Internet, onde os limites de invasão da privacidade se tornaram borrados. Vários tipos de infrações da privacidade, tanto negligências ativa como passiva, são evidentes em plataformas de redes sociais. A justaposição do mundo virtual da Internet com cenários da vida real apresenta novos desafios no âmbito das violações da privacidade. A era da Internet, juntamente com o amplo uso e integração de megadados (big data), diminuiu o direito absoluto à privacidade na Internet. Esse artigo examina o desafio de proteger a informação de identidade de pacientes infectantes através das lentes de dois enquadres teóricos -Kantianismo e Utilitarismo- em um esforço para abordar esse dilema ético.

Reflection on the Changes in the Scope of Ethical Review / 中国医学伦理学

At the end of February 2023, the new Notice on the Issuance of Ethical Review Measures for Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans was issued by the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It adheres to the basic principles and institutional framework of the Ethical Review Measures for Biomedical Research Involving Humans , and combines with the actual situation of domestic ethical work to optimize and improve the details and procedures of the review. Based on the Ethical Review Measures for Biomedical Research Involving Humans, the Ethical Review Measures for Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans have expanded the scope of application of ethical review. Different experts in the field have discussed in detail the changes in the scope of review, and proposed review procedures that may need to be corresponding adjustments based on the changes for the readers’ reference.

New consideration for data collection and application of clinical research under the back-ground of ligalization of data administration in China / 中华消化外科杂志

The medical data processed and analyzed in clinical research often contain a large number of personal information. Therefore, researchers should pay attention to the safety management of medical data during clinical research. The Data Security Law of People's Republic of China and the Personal Information Protection Law of People's Republic of China implemented on 1 st September and 1 st November 2021 respectively establish legal basis for data security and personal information protection and point out the direction for medical data security, which indicate that data governance has entered the 'strong regulatory era'. In the process of medical data collection and application of clinical research, respecting and protecting the privacy and safety of patients, ensuring the quality of medical data, safely managing medical data and carrying out high-quality clinical research will be an important test for the collection and application of clinical scientific research data under the new legal background.

Legal risks of face recognition technology in medical field / 中华医院管理杂志

Under the background of " Internet+ medical treatment" and the continuous deepening of face recognition technology research, the face recognition industry has continued to mature, and face recognition has been initially applied in medical fields such as hospital management, auxiliary medical care, and epidemic prevention and control. At the same time, face recognition technology brings problems including error risk, technical cracking risk, privacy risk, equality risk, abuse risk, and other issues in practice, which seriously threaten the personal and property rights and interests of the public. On the basis of summarizing the specific application direction of face recognition technology in hospitals, the authors sorted out the legal regulation of face recognition in China, and proposed that it should be based on technology research and development, strengthen the " gatekeeper" responsibility of medical institutions, improve legal system and recommendations for strengthening judicial leadership in order to improve the legal regulations of face recognition technology, reduce the risk of infringement by medical institutions in the application of face recognition technology, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens.

Knowledge and Practice of Dental Practitioners Regarding Patient's Personal Information / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to identify knowledge awareness, and performance of dentist and dental staff regarding protection of patient's personal information. In addition, this research was conducted to highlight the importance of protection of patient's personal information and provide a guideline for establishing measures in this regard. A survey was conducted on 506 dentists or dental staff working in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces. The data was analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, χ2, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and Scheffe test, using the PASW Statistics ver. 18.0 program. We found that the participants' knowledge and perception of the protection of patient's personal information were relatively low compared to those of other professionals. Such knowledge and perception were especially and significantly low in dental hygienists. In addition, a high level of knowledge and awareness showed a positive correlation with the extent of performance. Therefore, it is important that dentists and dental staff are aware of issues regarding the protection of patients' personal information. For this purpose, educational and training programs on such issues appear essential.

<b>The Use of SS-MIX in Clinical Trials and Postmarketing Studies： From the View of Pharmaceutical Industries </b> / 薬剤疫学

Those of us in the pharmaceutical industry are in favor of using SS-MIX standardized storage to alleviate the burden on medical professionals. As previously suggested, in addition to the benefits of reducing study periods, supporting a variety of investigative research and safety measures, and obtaining more accurate data on disease states and treatments, actively using this kind of new technology is a societal imperative in an information-driven society. Possible practical uses include (1) general application in drug use surveillance and special drug use surveillance, (2) appropriate sampling surveys, (3) patient monitoring, (4) observational studies with controls, such as those using disease registries, and (5) reviewing the results of safety measures. However, there is the issue of regulatory interpretation and consensus, with debate on information protection, and the issue of social infrastructure. Therefore, industry, government, and academia must continue its active, cooperative discussion to enable true implementation of this technology. (Jpn J Clin Pharmacoepidemiol 2013; 18(1): 57-64)

Cognition and Practice on Medical Information Protection of Iudustrial Health Care Manager of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This research aimed to know the actual condition and problems of medical information protection at a workplace with the target of industrial health care managers of small and medium-sized enterprises. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was given to industrial health-care managers of 216 enterprises from March 15 to May 17, 2010. The questionnaire was produced by referring to the Act on Personal Information Protection of Public Institutions, etc. This research evaluated agreement of cognition and practice according to 10 items of medical information protection using kappa and cross-analysis of significant factors between cognition and practice of medical information protection and general characteristics. RESULTS: Cognition about medical information protection appeared to be 85.4-97.1% and its practice appeared to be 44.1-95.3%, so practice was lower than cognition. In addition, the agreement of cognition and practice appeared significantly low (kappa 0.082-0.387). The practice of medical information protection tended to be lower when the managers were older and held a higher job title. Health examination results were being delivered only to workers except for an employer (94.2%), but there were many industrial health-care managers who felt discomfort about their work in group occupational health-care systems (58.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The practice of protecting medical information by industrial health-care managers was clearly lower than the cognition. Therefore, introduction of educational programs about personal information protection and provision of an independent place for group occupational health care service is urgent. In addition, in order to use the health examination results conveniently in group occupational health services, an institutional complement is necessary.

Analysis of Information Security Management Systems at 5 Domestic Hospitals with More than 500 Beds / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: The information security management systems (ISMS) of 5 hospitals with more than 500 beds were evaluated with regards to the level of information security, management, and physical and technical aspects so that we might make recommendations on information security and security countermeasures which meet both international standards and the needs of individual hospitals. METHODS: The ISMS check-list derived from international/domestic standards was distributed to each hospital to complete and the staff of each hospital was interviewed. Information Security Indicator and Information Security Values were used to estimate the present security levels and evaluate the application of each hospital's current system. RESULTS: With regard to the moderate clause of the ISMS, the hospitals were determined to be in compliance. The most vulnerable clause was asset management, in particular, information asset classification guidelines. The clauses of information security incident management and business continuity management were deemed necessary for the establishment of successful ISMS. CONCLUSIONS: The level of current ISMS in the hospitals evaluated was determined to be insufficient. Establishment of adequate ISMS is necessary to ensure patient privacy and the safe use of medical records for various purposes. Implementation of ISMS which meet international standards with a long-term and comprehensive perspective is of prime importance. To reflect the requirements of the varied interests of medical staff, consumers, and institutions, the establishment of political support is essential to create suitable hospital ISMS.