Healthcare-Related Data in the Cloud: Challenges and Opportunities

A key issue in electronic health systems is the underlying security and privacy risk. For example, confidential patient information or medical records ending up in the hands of a person not privy to the information could have far-reaching consequences. With the trend toward cloud computing use in the healthcare industry continuing to grow (for example, using cloud platforms to digitally manage health-related data including electronic health records), security and privacy concerns must be adequately addressed, and regulations on data protections made to be in compliance. This column examines several key issues and requirements underpinning the use of cloud computing for managing healthcare-related data as well as potential solutions.