Privacy of Technology and the Behavioral Health Professions

Abstract

One of the key advantages of information technology is its ability to facilitate information accessibility and dissemination at the point of care, but this also puts privacy at increased risk. In order to preserve the therapeutic rapport that is critical to the delivery of mental healthcare, as well as maintain the public's trust in health information technology, it will be critical to balance the advantages of improved data exchange with earnest efforts to protect information from inappropriate disclosure. The clinician can assist in realizing this balance by maintaining a familiarity with the capabilities and limitations of health information technology to safeguard patient privacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)