As part of a class assignment, on October 10, 2018, I gave a presentation on the improper disposal of paper medical records. While many are concerned about cyberbreaches as healthcare institutions and organizations continue to move to electronic recordkeeping systems, the improper disposal of paper medical records, by these health information custodians continues to be an ongoing issue. This paper problem was brought to by attention by a recent study done by researchers at the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital, concerning the discovery of thousands of paper records containing sensitive medical information in the dumpsters of 5 Toronto hospitals between 2014 and 2016.
Now I was not aware of the extent of this problem, but the senior author of the study, Dr. Nancy Baxter of Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital makes a valid argument that the paper problem in the medical environment has actually gotten worse with the transition to electronic recordkeeping systems because we are more easily able to print and copy for convenience (as cited by The Canadian Press, 2018). So, if anything health organizations need to tighten their document disposal practices for both electronic and paper records going forward.
This presentation addressed the issue, relevant privacy and security legislation, secure disposal methods, potential consequences and risks, suggestions moving forward, and also provided several discussion questions that stimulated class discussion.
I elaborated on the issue addressed in this presentation in the final term paper for this class. Further, on January 23, 2019, I adapted the presentation for a talk at a 'Lunch and Learn' at Molecular You, a digital health company based in Vancouver. This experience was useful in it allowed me not only practice my public speaking skills, but also learn about the practical application of data privacy and security policies.
For these presentations, I:
- Completed thorough research and analysis on the topic, which enabled me to articulate and communicate ideas and concepts fluently both visually and orally
- Designed visually appealing posters that effectively supported my presentation by summarizing the main points of the topic
- Prepared open and critical questions that successfully encouraged class participation and discussion
- Effectively adapted my poster and presentation to a specific context and audience at Molecular You, which stimulated staff discussion about privacy and security policies
Below (top to bottom) are images of the poster used for my class presentation, the promotional poster for the talk at Molecular You, and the adapted poster used for the talk.
