Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

Ensuring that data have been accessed or modified only by those authorized to do so is a function of:

1. data granularity

2. data integrity

3. data quality

4. logging functions

The correct answer is: data integrity

The concept of ensuring that data have been accessed or modified only by those authorized to do so is closely related to data integrity. Data integrity refers to the overall accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data throughout its lifecycle. One of the critical aspects of maintaining data integrity is implementing access controls and authentication measures that restrict unauthorized access and modifications to data. By ensuring that only authorized individuals have the ability to access or alter data, organizations can maintain the trustworthiness and procedural fidelity of their information systems. Data integrity not only protects against unauthorized changes but also safeguards the data from corruption or loss, thereby ensuring that the data remains a true reflection of the original information. This focus on authorized access is integral to upholding the data's authenticity and reliability within information management practices. On the other hand, data granularity refers to the level of detail represented in a dataset; data quality encompasses the overall condition of data as it pertains to accuracy, consistency, and completeness; and logging functions are mechanisms to record system activity but do not inherently ensure data access authorization. Each of these concepts is important in its own right, but they do not specifically address the aspect of controlling who can access or modify data as effectively as data integrity does.