Practical aspects of handling data protection and data security

Looking at practical applications of health care information systems, we must conclude that in the field of data protection there still is too large a gap between what is feasible and necessary on one hand, and what is achieved in actual realizations on the other. To illustrate this point, we sketch the actual data protection measures in a large hospital information system, and describe the effects of changes affecting the system, such as increasing use of personal computers, and growing intensity of use of the system. Trends in the development of new and additional systems are indicated, and a summary of possible weak points and gaps in the security is given, some suggestions for improvement are made.