Performance of Hospitals in Protecting the Confidentiality and Information Security of Patients in Health Information Departments.

Keeping health information confidential is an important aspect of managing health information. This study aimed at determining the performance of health information management departments (HIMD) to identify the policies of these hospitals, their similarities, and differences in their procedures in this respect. Managers of the departments and information disclosure and medical record staff in 22 teaching hospitals were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding their practices in four axes including confidentiality principles, principles of disclosure consent, disclosure information to external and internal users. We found that there are no specific national framework and guidelines for the disclosure of health information. Hospitals are undertaking different ways in this regard. In most cases, patients' consent is not considered necessary for disclosure and only hospital managers' or physicians' consent is sufficient.