Ehrs and Phrs : Security and Privacy Concerns Among Communities of Color

With substantial funding from the Economic Stimulus Package, strong private sector initiative and bipartisan leadership from the executive and legislative branches of government, health information technology (HIT) is emerging as an important strategy to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the nation's health care system. The presenter plans to make the case that racial and ethnic minorities, as well as other underserved populations, must not be left behind as the HIT movement gains momentum. In fact, failure to include these populations may result in the exacerbation of health disparities.

While there are clear benefits for these groups resulting from their use of HIT, there are also barriers and areas of concern. Among them are concerns about privacy and confidentiality, particularly in those communities that have experienced abuses (e.g., U.S. Government Syphilis Study at Tuskegee) resulting from researcher misconduct and the absence of informed consent. An in depth understanding of these historical experiences, available culturally appropriate protections to prevent privacy-related abuses, as well as the need for targeted outreach and interventions for these groups will be essential if HIT is to achieve its potential to democratize and optimize health care in the U.S.