Protective measures for private health information

This study measured attitudes about patient privacy. Participants ranked a collection of 25 patient- specific health information protection measures that have been established as a part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), effective in April 2003. Individual points of view were surveyed to determine which information protection measures patients felt to be least effective and most effective with regard to protection of patient privacy. The researcher, being interested in subjects with the human immuno deficiency virus (HIV), conducted an exploratory Q-Methodology study to capture individual participants' points of view. A by-person factor analysis was performed on the intercorrelated Q-sort matrix. The subjects clustered into three groups; however, the concern for privacy was similar for subjects with and without HIV. Recommendations for policy changes are discussed for four areas: usage of the "Notice of Privacy Practices," patient sign-in procedures, the role of the privacy officer, and staff education.