UK doctors compromise patient data

UK DOCTORS have reportedly developed a nasty habit of storing unencrypted patient data on USB memory sticks.

According to the Health Service Journal, a shocking 92 out of the 105 doctors surveyed admitted to carrying sensitive patient records on unsecured thumb drives.

Researchers Sven Putnis and Andrew Bircher noted the information included patient names, birth dates, x-ray results, diagnoses and treatment details. The two also emphasised that the shocking security lapse would likely be "mirrored in surveys across every hospital in the UK and beyond".

A defensive NHS responded to the troubling report by insisting its clinicians had been issued clear instructions to encrypt all identifiable patient data.

Dr Simon Eccles, Medical Director at Connecting for Health, attempted to downplay the disturbing findings by explaining that cryptic patient codes rendered electronic records virtually unreadable to anyone but trained staff.

However, Eccles conceded that, "at the end of the day, the responsibility for data must rest with the individual clinician".

The NHS has suffered several embarrassing mishaps in recent months – including the loss of multiple laptops containing at least 31,000 patient records. µ

L'Inq
PC World