Avoiding personal data loss

The potential personal, financial, emotional, and professional costs associated with the loss of data stored in personal computing devices are difficult to appreciate a priori. Because of the potentially devastating consequences of significant data loss, it behooves all clinicians to take personal responsibility in securing their data, whether or not this responsibility is nominally assumed by Information Systems (IS) professionals. There are a variety of straightforward, easily implemented approaches that can be used to help secure personal data, including investigating IS department policies, following proper backing-up procedures, observing reasonable security precautions, keeping digital media current, and establishing a process for executing these approaches.