Handling Sensitive Information In Caregiving

Protect patient data with best practices in confidentiality, consent, GDPR compliance, data security, and cybersecurity

What you'll learn

Explain legal and ethical frameworks (GDPR, Caldicott Principles) governing handling of sensitive health and social care data.

Differentiate between personal, sensitive, and confidential information, applying appropriate handling procedures for each type.

Implement best practices for accurate, secure, and legally compliant record-keeping for both paper-based and electronic health records (EHRs).

Evaluate information security risks, including cybersecurity threats, and apply risk management strategies to prevent and respond to data breaches.

Follow secure protocols to share sensitive info with colleagues/agencies, ensuring patient consent and confidentiality at all times.

Use codes like the NHS Confidentiality Code to guide daily care decisions, ensuring privacy, trust, and ethical information handling.

Demonstrate the ability to monitor compliance with information handling policies and effectively report any concerns or non-compliance issues.

Requirements

No prior experience required , This course covers everything you need to know.

Description

The digital transformation of healthcare has made sensitive data more vulnerable to breaches. Over 90 % of hospitals and physician practices in developed nations use Electronic Health Records (EHRs), centralizing vast amounts of data, which increases the risk of breaches. The rise of telehealth, which surged by 3,000 % during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to generate more digital data that must be managed securely.Healthcare data is growing exponentially, with a 36 % annual growth rate, and a single patient generating nearly 80 megabytes of data each year.The cost of data breaches is staggering $10.93 million per incident on average, nearly double the cost in other industries. Human error is responsible for 82 % of breaches, emphasizing the need for caregiver training in secure data handling. With breaches affecting over 133 million individuals in 2023 alone, the need for robust data security practices is urgent. Proper training is essential to protect patient data and mitigate risks.In modern health and social care, providing excellent patient care is built on a foundation of trust. How you manage and protect sensitive information is critical to maintaining that trust and ensuring patient safety. Are you confident you have the skills to navigate the complex world of data in caregiving?This essential course empowers every caregiver, social work professional, and healthcare management leader to become a guardian of patient confidentiality. We guide you through the entire information lifecycle, from understanding the Legal & Ethical Frameworks of GDPR to implementing best practices in Record Keeping and Documentation. You will develop crucial skills in Information Governance and Cybersecurity, learning to identify risks and prevent data breaches before they happen.Master the art of professional Communication and Information Sharing and learn to apply the Code of Practice on Confidential Information in your daily work.Enroll today and become the trusted, compliant, and confident professional your patients deserve.What You Will Master in This Course:Module 1: Introduction to Information Handling in Care Begin with the fundamentals by understanding the critical importance of information handling and learning to differentiate between personal, sensitive, and public information in a healthcare setting.Module 2: Legal & Ethical Framework of Information Handling Navigate the complex legal landscape with confidence. We'll demystify the Data Protection Act & GDPR, and explore the core ethical considerations of confidentiality, consent, capacity, and information sharing.Module 3: Record Keeping and Documentation Master the art of accurate and secure documentation. Learn best practices for both paper and electronic health records (EHRs), ensuring your records meet all legal requirements and are completely secure.Module 4: Information Governance and Management Step into the world of high-level oversight. Understand information governance frameworks, risk assessment, and the importance of audit trails to ensure accountability and robust security management.Module 5: Communication and Information Sharing Develop protocols for effective communication. Learn how to securely share information with colleagues and other professionals, handle third-party requests, and manage disclosures in urgent circumstances.Module 6: Monitoring and Compliance Ensure your practices are always up to standard. This module covers how to monitor compliance with legal requirements, audit policies, and effectively report concerns or non-compliance issues.Module 7: Digital Literacy and Cybersecurity in Healthcare Build the digital skills for modern healthcare. Enhance your digital competence, understand fundamental cybersecurity threats, and learn how to prepare for and respond to a data breach.Module 8: Code of Practice on Confidential Information Internalize the gold standard of confidentiality. This module provides a deep dive into the official Code of Practice, including the essential Caldicott Principles that guide all information handling in UK health services.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction to Information Handling in Care

Lecture 1 Understanding Information Handling

Lecture 2 Importance and scope in care settings.

Lecture 3 Types of Information in Healthcare

Lecture 4 Differentiating between personal, sensitive, and public information.

Section 2: Legal & Ethical Framework of Information Handling in Care

Lecture 5 Legal & Ethical Framework of Information Handling in Care

Section 3: Record Keeping and Documentation

Lecture 6 Importance of accurate record keeping

Lecture 7 Types of records and documentation

Lecture 8 Best practices for accurate and efficient documentation

Lecture 9 Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

Lecture 10 Legal Requirements for Documentation

Lecture 11 How to Ensure the security of both paper and electronic records.

Section 4: Information Governance and Management

Lecture 12 Information Governance and Management

Section 5: Communication and Information Sharing

Lecture 13 Effective communication in care settings

Lecture 14 Sharing information with colleagues and other professionals

Lecture 15 Handling sensitive information

Lecture 16 Interoperability in Healthcare Systems

Lecture 17 Managing Third-Party Information Requests

Lecture 18 Protocols for sharing information in urgent or exceptional circumstances.

Section 6: Monitoring and Compliance

Lecture 19 Monitoring compliance with legal requirements and codes of practice

Lecture 20 Auditing policies and procedures

Lecture 21 Reporting concerns and non-compliance issues

Section 7: Digital Literacy and Cybersecurity in Healthcare

Lecture 22 Develop strong digital skills for safe, effective information handling.

Lecture 23 Understand and prevent common cyber threats in healthcare settings.

Lecture 24 Prepare for and respond effectively to healthcare data breaches.

Lecture 25 Keep pace with emerging tools and trends in digital healthcare.

Section 8: Code of Practice on Confidential Information

Lecture 26 The Code of Practice

Lecture 27 The Caldicott Principles

Lecture 28 The Code of Practice on Confidential Information by HSCIC

Lecture 29 The NHS Code of Practice on Information Security Management

Caregivers and Healthcare Assistants (HCAs),Nurses and Allied Health Professionals (e.g., Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists),Social Workers and Support Workers,Healthcare Administrators and Medical Secretaries,Care Home Managers, Practice Managers, and Team Leaders,Information Governance and Compliance Staff,Students and Trainees in any health or social care field.