Navigating privacy and security in telemedicine for primary care

Abstract

Objective: To examine patient and provider perspectives on privacy and security considerations in telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study design: Qualitative study with patients and providers from primary care practices in 3 National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network sites in New York, New York; North Carolina; and Florida.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted, audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using an inductive process. Data related to privacy and information security were analyzed.

Results: Sixty-five patients and 21 providers participated. Patients and providers faced technology-related security concerns as well as difficulties ensuring privacy in the transformed shared space of telemedicine. Patients expressed increased comfort doing telemedicine from home but often did not like their providers to offer virtual visits from outside an office setting. Providers initially struggled to find secure and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant platforms and devices to host the software. Whereas some patients preferred familiar platforms such as FaceTime, others recognized potential security concerns. Audio-only encounters sometimes raised patient concerns that they would not be able to confirm the identity of the provider.

Conclusions: Telemedicine led to novel concerns about privacy because patients and providers were often at home or in public spaces, and they shared concerns about software and hardware security. In addition to technological safeguards, our study emphasizes the critical role of physical infrastructure in ensuring privacy and security. As telemedicine continues to evolve, it is important to address and mitigate concerns around privacy and security to ensure high-quality and safe delivery of care to patients in remote settings.