Nursing Informatics
Policies, Guidelines and Laws in Nursing Informatics
Study guide, definitions and notes
Nursing informatics involves the use of technology and information systems to support the practice of
nursing. There are various policies, guidelines, and laws that govern the use of technology and data in
nursing, including:
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): This law sets national standards for
protecting the privacy and security of individuals' medical information. It applies to health care
providers, including nurses, and requires them to keep patient information confidential and to
implement appropriate security measures to protect it.
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Cybersecurity Framework: This framework
provides a set of guidelines and best practices for managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive
information. It is intended to be used by health care organizations, including those that employ nurses,
to assess their current cybersecurity posture and identify areas for improvement.
ANA (American Nurses Association) Code of Ethics: This code sets standards for the professional conduct
of nurses, including the use of technology and electronic communication. It states that nurses have a
responsibility to protect patients' privacy and to use technology in a way that is consistent with the
standards of the profession.
Joint Commission: The Joint Commission is an organization that accredits health care organizations,
including hospitals, and sets standards for quality and safety. They have provided guidelines on how
healthcare organization should handle the technology and data they use.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that sets national
standards for protecting the privacy and security of individuals' medical information. It applies to a wide
range of health care providers, including nurses, and it has several provisions that are relevant to
nursing informatics.
The Privacy Rule: This part of HIPAA establishes national standards for protecting the privacy of
individuals' health information. It applies to "covered entities," which include health care providers,
health plans, and health care clearinghouses. The Privacy Rule requires covered entities to implement
appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity,
and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI). It also limits the ways in which
covered entities can use and disclose ePHI, and it gives individuals certain rights with respect to their
own health information.
The Security Rule: This part of HIPAA establishes national standards for protecting the security of ePHI. It
applies to covered entities and requires them to implement administrative, physical, and technical
, safeguards to protect ePHI against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. The
Security Rule also requires covered entities to conduct risk analyses to identify potential threats and
vulnerabilities to the security of ePHI, and to implement risk management measures to address those
risks.
HIPAA also requires health care providers to provide individuals with notice of their privacy rights and to
obtain individuals' written consent before using or disclosing their health information for certain
purposes.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework is a set of
guidelines and best practices for managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive information. It is
intended to be used by organizations across various sectors, including healthcare, to assess their current
cybersecurity posture and identify areas for improvement.
The framework is divided into five core functions:
Identify: This function is focused on understanding the organization's cybersecurity risks and
vulnerabilities, as well as the assets that need to be protected. It includes activities such as conducting a
risk assessment and identifying the organization's critical assets.
Protect: This function is focused on implementing measures to safeguard the organization's assets and
systems from cyber threats. It includes activities such as implementing security controls, such as
firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption, and developing incident response plans.
Detect: This function is focused on detecting cyber incidents and anomalies in a timely manner, so that
the organization can respond quickly and effectively. It includes activities such as monitoring systems
and networks for signs of intrusion, and implementing incident response and incident management
procedures.
Respond: This function is focused on taking appropriate action in the event of a cyber incident. It
includes activities such as containing an incident, eradicating the threat, and recovering systems and
data.
Recover: This function is focused on restoring normal operations as quickly as possible following a cyber
incident. It includes activities such as restoring systems and data, and implementing measures to
prevent similar incidents in the future.
Policies, Guidelines and Laws in Nursing Informatics
Study guide, definitions and notes
Nursing informatics involves the use of technology and information systems to support the practice of
nursing. There are various policies, guidelines, and laws that govern the use of technology and data in
nursing, including:
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): This law sets national standards for
protecting the privacy and security of individuals' medical information. It applies to health care
providers, including nurses, and requires them to keep patient information confidential and to
implement appropriate security measures to protect it.
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Cybersecurity Framework: This framework
provides a set of guidelines and best practices for managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive
information. It is intended to be used by health care organizations, including those that employ nurses,
to assess their current cybersecurity posture and identify areas for improvement.
ANA (American Nurses Association) Code of Ethics: This code sets standards for the professional conduct
of nurses, including the use of technology and electronic communication. It states that nurses have a
responsibility to protect patients' privacy and to use technology in a way that is consistent with the
standards of the profession.
Joint Commission: The Joint Commission is an organization that accredits health care organizations,
including hospitals, and sets standards for quality and safety. They have provided guidelines on how
healthcare organization should handle the technology and data they use.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that sets national
standards for protecting the privacy and security of individuals' medical information. It applies to a wide
range of health care providers, including nurses, and it has several provisions that are relevant to
nursing informatics.
The Privacy Rule: This part of HIPAA establishes national standards for protecting the privacy of
individuals' health information. It applies to "covered entities," which include health care providers,
health plans, and health care clearinghouses. The Privacy Rule requires covered entities to implement
appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity,
and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI). It also limits the ways in which
covered entities can use and disclose ePHI, and it gives individuals certain rights with respect to their
own health information.
The Security Rule: This part of HIPAA establishes national standards for protecting the security of ePHI. It
applies to covered entities and requires them to implement administrative, physical, and technical
, safeguards to protect ePHI against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. The
Security Rule also requires covered entities to conduct risk analyses to identify potential threats and
vulnerabilities to the security of ePHI, and to implement risk management measures to address those
risks.
HIPAA also requires health care providers to provide individuals with notice of their privacy rights and to
obtain individuals' written consent before using or disclosing their health information for certain
purposes.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework is a set of
guidelines and best practices for managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive information. It is
intended to be used by organizations across various sectors, including healthcare, to assess their current
cybersecurity posture and identify areas for improvement.
The framework is divided into five core functions:
Identify: This function is focused on understanding the organization's cybersecurity risks and
vulnerabilities, as well as the assets that need to be protected. It includes activities such as conducting a
risk assessment and identifying the organization's critical assets.
Protect: This function is focused on implementing measures to safeguard the organization's assets and
systems from cyber threats. It includes activities such as implementing security controls, such as
firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption, and developing incident response plans.
Detect: This function is focused on detecting cyber incidents and anomalies in a timely manner, so that
the organization can respond quickly and effectively. It includes activities such as monitoring systems
and networks for signs of intrusion, and implementing incident response and incident management
procedures.
Respond: This function is focused on taking appropriate action in the event of a cyber incident. It
includes activities such as containing an incident, eradicating the threat, and recovering systems and
data.
Recover: This function is focused on restoring normal operations as quickly as possible following a cyber
incident. It includes activities such as restoring systems and data, and implementing measures to
prevent similar incidents in the future.
