Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

The concept dedicated to protecting information from unauthorized access is referred to as:

1. confidentiality.

2. ethics.

3. privacy.

4. security.

The correct answer is: confidentiality.

The correct choice focuses on the fundamental principle of confidentiality, which is the practice of ensuring that information is only accessible to those who have the proper authorization to view it. In the context of health information management, confidentiality is crucial because it helps protect sensitive patient data and maintains trust between patients and healthcare providers. Maintaining confidentiality involves safeguards and policies that limit access to information, ensuring that it is shared only with authorized personnel and in appropriate contexts. This principle is vital for complying with legal regulations such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in Canada, which outlines how personal information should be handled and protected. While related concepts like privacy and security do play roles in information protection, confidentiality is specifically about restricting access to information. Privacy typically refers more broadly to an individual’s right to control their personal information, whereas security encompasses the measures and protocols put in place to protect data from theft, loss, and unauthorized access. Ethics, on the other hand, relates to the moral principles guiding conduct, which can indirectly support adherence to confidentiality but isn't specifically about protecting information itself.