A new protocol to preserve the privacy of patients and medical institutions

Health care providers should keep records of diseases and report them to the health authorities so they could potentially prevent cases of infection and epidemics. However there is evidence that show that they do not oblige mentioned rule because of concerns about patient privacy and privacy of the providers of medical care.

Driven by the facts, Dr. Khaled El-Emam and his research team at the CHEO Institute have developed a security system that solves these problems. The new system would protect the patients and the providers of medical care, while simultaneously giving effective control of the data available. Doctors and medical staff have so far concealed that information because they thought it would ultimately be used to evaluate their work. This system would prevent an influenza epidemic or the spread of infections in hospitals which represent a major health problem. The system has a special functionality which can reveal the identity of the patient if one becomes necessary for further investigation. Protocol uses special cryptographic methods that enable the processing of encrypted information. The system could be used in pharmacies to report increased sales of certain drugs and also in schools to report an unexpected number of student absences. Additional information can be found at cheori web site.