Web-browser encryption of personal health information

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Data Security
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Electronic health records offer vast clinical data for research.
• Protecting patient confidentiality is crucial due to potential stigmatization and loss.
• Existing systems may not adequately safeguard sensitive health information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a secure system for remote data entry.
• To protect patient confidentiality during data collection and storage.
• To enable centralized data collection while minimizing unauthorized access.

Main Methods:

• Implementing a remote data entry system with in-browser encryption.
• Ensuring data is only decryptable by authorized users or their delegates.
• Designing the system for secure storage and updating of sensitive information.

Main Results:

• A system was developed for remote data entry with client-side encryption.
• Sensitive patient data is encrypted in the web browser, not on the server.
• The system prevents unauthorized access to identifiable patient information by data center staff.

Conclusions:

• The developed system centralizes patient data collection effectively.
• It significantly minimizes the risk of protected health information exposure to unauthorized personnel.
• The system is applicable beyond clinical research to any database requiring secure sensitive information handling.