Information Security in Pharmacies
Introduction
Information security is vital in many firms especially pharmacies and other sensitive fields. Security officers are, therefore, necessary to ensure both physical and logical safety. The Information Security Officer/Manager (ISO) will have different duties such as managing the information security functions in according to the firm’s established guidelines and provisions/policies, providing reports to the firm’s management at reasonable intervals, establishing and ensuring implementation of information security procedures and standards, according to the state’s provisions regarding risk management policies, consulting and recommending to the pharmacy on issues of security enhancement, conducting information security analysis and assessment programs and many others.
Protecting medication, funds and health information
According to statistics, many health firms such as pharmacies and hospitals have adopted the electronic health records (EHR) model to store their information. However, these firms still use physical records such as filing to store their information. In adopting the EHR, pharmacies usually aim at improving the coordination with patients, reducing disparities, improving public health and enhancing privacy of information through secure data protection. Medication, funds and also information have to be protected to encourage quality service deliverance to the firms.
Access to the pharmacy
According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (1998), a pharmacy is a designated security sensitive area. This calls for a well established security plan that will cover both the access measures and policies that will control movement within the building. In developing a plan, the information security officer will consider issues like the hours and durations of operation, accountability of