Protection of patient's privacy and data security in e-Health services

E-Health involves new forms of patient physician interaction and poses new ethical challenges and threats to patient privacy. This paper reviews Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) accredited e-Health websites that provide online appointment services in the U.S.A for compliance with basic principles of security and privacy. We found that 20 of 30 HON sites we reviewed are secure sites but only 8 of 20 secure sites state that it is secure. Most HON sites require patients to submit confidential data. 12 of 30 websites do not display privacy notice on the web appointment request page. The reading level might be a problem for the patients who have lower educational background to understand the privacy notice. Regulations and guidelines do not ensure that privacy protection and data security is done appropriately or well. More attention to security methods and procedures is needed to safeguard patients' privacy rights.