Privacy Risks and Security Threats in mHealth apps

mHealth (Mobile Health) applications (apps) have transformed the doctor-patient relationship. They help users with varied functionalities such as monitoring their health, understanding specific health conditions, consulting doctors online and achieving fitness goals. Whilst these apps provide an option of equitable and convenient access to healthcare, a lot of personal and sensitive data about users is collected, stored and shared to achieve these functionalities. Little is known about the privacy and security concerns these apps address. Based on literature review, this paper identifies the privacy risks and security features for evaluating thirty apps in the Medical category across two app distribution platforms in India namely Google Play and App Store. Factors identified through the review formed a basis of the scoring model which helped to arrive at the ‘Privacy Risk Score’ and ‘Safety Score’ for each app. A comparative analysis of the selected apps was performed by studying their privacy policies. The results indicate that adopting these apps pose a risk. Finally, recommendations are provided to consumers such as examining the app before downloading it, customizing the app settings, and to developers to develop robust and transparent privacy policies

Designing a Multimedia Intervention for Illiterate and Semi-Illiterate Pregnant Women in Developing Countries: A Case of Uganda

Die hohe Müttersterblichkeit in Entwicklungsländern ist zum Teil auf indirekte Faktoren wie Analphabetismus und eingeschränkten Zugang zu Gesundheitsinformationen für Mütter zurückzuführen. Während gebildete Frauen auf Gesundheitsinformationen über Online-Plattformen und mHealth-Apps zugreifen können, müssen Analphabetinnen diese in Gesundheitseinrichtungen abrufen, was aufgrund der Transportkosten oft nicht möglich ist. Mobilfunktechnologie hat in der Gesundheitsversorgung Chancen für ressourcenarme Gemeinschaften eröffnet, die sonst nicht von den digitalen Technologien profitiert hätten. Obwohl Mobilfunktechnologie in der Müttergesundheit eingesetzt wird, können die meisten Maßnahmen nicht von Analphabeten genutzt werden, verwenden Sicherheitsmodelle die nicht auf den Kontext von Entwicklungsländern zugeschnitten sind, und wurden nicht auf ihre Auswirkungen auf die Müttergesundheit hin evaluiert. In dieser Arbeit wurden zwei (Web und Mobile) Apps entwickelt, die die Übermittlung von multimedialen Nachrichten zur Müttergesundheit, Terminerinnerungen und Anrufe/Chats erleichtern. Um die Anforderungen der Nutzer zu erfassen, wurde eine Feldstudie mit halbstrukturierten Interviews und Fokusgruppendiskussionen mit schwangeren Analphabetinnen, Gesundheitsexperten und Entwicklern durchgeführt. Es folgte die Entwicklung eines Sicherheitsmodells (T2RoL) zur Sicherung der Gesundheitsinformationen in den Apps, die dann nach einem nutzerzentrierten Designansatz entwickelt wurden. Eine zweite Feldstudie in Form von halbstrukturierten Interviews und Umfragen wurde durchgeführt, um die mobile App in einer randomisierten kontrollierten Studie mit 80 schwangeren Analphabetinnen über 9 Monate zu evaluieren. Die Auswertung zeigte, dass die App akzeptiert wurde sowie einfach zu erlernen und zu benutzen war. Das Wissen über Müttergesundheit in der Interventionsgruppe verbesserte sich, was sich positiv auf gesundheitsbezogene Entscheidungen und Gesundheitsmaßnahmen auswirkte.Maternal mortality is high in developing countries partly due to indirect factors such as illiteracy and limited access to maternal health information. While literate women can access health information from online platforms, and mHealth apps, illiterate women must get it from health facilities which is often not possible due to lack of transport fees. Mobile technology has opened opportunities in maternal health care for low resource communities that would otherwise not have benefited from digital technologies. Although used in maternal health, most interventions are not usable by the illiterate, use security models that are not tailored to the developing countries’ context, and have not been evaluated to assess their impact on maternal health care. In this thesis, two (web and mobile) apps that facilitate delivery of multimedia-based maternal health messages, appointment reminders, and calls/ chats were developed. To gather user requirements, a field study in form of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions was conducted with illiterate pregnant women, health practitioners and developers. Development of a security model (T2RoL) to secure the health information in the apps followed. The apps were then developed following a user-centered design approach. A second field study in form of semi-structured interviews and surveys was conducted to evaluate the mobile app through a randomized controlled trial with 80 illiterate pregnant women that were followed for 9 months. Overall, results show that the app was acceptable, easy to learn and use. There was improved maternal health knowledge among the intervention group which positively influenced health related decision making and health practices

Big Brother is Listening to You: Digital Eavesdropping in the Advertising Industry

In the Digital Age, information is more accessible than ever. Unfortunately, that accessibility has come at the expense of privacy. Now, more and more personal information is in the hands of corporations and governments, for uses not known to the average consumer. Although these entities have long been able to keep tabs on individuals, with the advent of virtual assistants and “always-listening” technologies, the ease by which a third party may extract information from a consumer has only increased. The stark reality is that lawmakers have left the American public behind. While other countries have enacted consumer privacy protections, the United States has no satisfactory legal framework in place to curb data collection by greedy businesses or to regulate how those companies may use and protect consumer data. This Article contemplates one use of that data: digital advertising. Inspired by stories of suspiciously well-targeted advertisements appearing on social media websites, this Article additionally questions whether companies have been honest about their collection of audio data. To address the potential harms consumers may suffer as a result of this deficient privacy protection, this Article proposes a framework wherein companies must acquire users\u27 consent and the government must ensure that businesses do not use consumer information for harmful purposes

Midwives for Haiti: Process Evaluation

The reduction of maternal mortality is a long-time international objective. One often underemphasized component of addressing complex and context-driven health problems, such as maternal mortality, is the importance of program evaluation. Program evaluation has been identified as particularly scarce among safe motherhood initiatives, which seek to reduce maternal deaths and improve the health outcomes of mothers (Freedman et al., 2007). Useful program evaluation starts with process evaluation. This study is a case study process evaluation of postpartum data collection, which utilizes interviews, observations, and document review. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, describe, and compare the intended and actual data collection processes of Midwives for Haiti’s postpartum program at Hospital Saint Therese (HST). This process evaluation included the identification of barriers and facilitators of data collection. Some consistent intentions for data use were identified despite limited planning for data collection and evaluation prior to implementation. These intentions include monitoring outputs, connecting identified complications to interventions used, and improving the quality of care provided. The next step to improving postpartum data collection at HST is to develop a clear program logic model and evaluation plan, which should include short-term and mid-term objectives to effectively address their long-term objective of reducing maternal mortality. The utilization of near-miss cases as proxy for maternal mortality may enable Midwives for Haiti to better understand postpartum outcomes and the impact of the postpartum program

An Australian survey of women's use of pregnancy and parenting apps.

Background There are now many pregnancy and parenting apps available on the market for both pregnancy and parenting. Aims To investigate how Australian women use pregnancy and parenting apps, their attitudes about the information provided and data privacy and security related to such use, and what features they look for in these apps. Methods An online survey was completed by 410 women who were pregnant or had given birth to at least one child in the past three years, were aged between 18 and 45 and were competent in English. Findings The use of pregnancy and parenting apps was common among the respondents. Almost three quarters of respondents had used at least one pregnancy app; half reported using at least one parenting app. Respondents found the apps useful or helpful, particularly for providing information, monitoring foetal or child development and changes in their own bodies and providing reassurance. Yet many users were not actively assessing the validity of the content of these apps or considering issues concerning the security and privacy of the personal information about themselves and their children that these apps collect. Conclusion Apps are becoming important as a source of information and self-monitoring and for providing reassurance for Australian pregnant women and mothers with young children. Midwives and other healthcare professionals providing care and support for pregnant women and women in the early years of motherhood need to take women's app use into account and recognise both the potential and limitations of these apps

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The Second International Conference on Health Information Technology Advancement

TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Message from the Conference Co-Chairs B. Han and S. Falan …………………………....….……………. 5 II. Message from the Transactions Editor H. Lee …...………..………….......………….……….………….... 7 III. Referred Papers A. Emerging Health Information Technology and Applications The Role of Mobile Technology in Enhancing the Use of Personal Health Records Mohamed Abouzahra and Joseph Tan………………….……………. 9 Mobile Health Information Technology and Patient Care: Methods, Themes, and Research Gaps Bahae Samhan, Majid Dadgar, and K. D. Joshi…………..…. 18 A Balanced Perspective to Perioperative Process Management Jim Ryan, Barbara Doster, Sandra Daily, and Carmen Lewis…..….…………… 30 The Impact of Big Data on the Healthcare Information Systems Kuo Lane Chen and Huei Lee………….…………… 43 B. Health Care Communication, Literacy, and Patient Care Quality Digital Illness Narratives: A New Form of Health Communication Jofen Han and Jo Wiley…..….……..…. 47 Relationships, Caring, and Near Misses: Michael’s Story Sharie Falan and Bernard Han……………….…..…. 53 What is Your Informatics Skills Level? -- The Reliability of an Informatics Competency Measurement Tool Xiaomeng Sun and Sharie Falan.….….….….….….…. 61 C. Health Information Standardization and Interoperability Standardization Needs for Effective Interoperability Marilyn Skrocki…………………….…….………….… 76 Data Interoperability and Information Security in Healthcare Reid Berryman, Nathan Yost, Nicholas Dunn, and Christopher Edwards.…. 84 Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN) Shared Services vs. the HIE Shared Services in Other States Devon O’Toole, Sean O’Toole, and Logan Steely…..……….…… 94 D. Health information Security and Regulation A Threat Table Based Approach to Telemedicine Security John C. Pendergrass, Karen Heart, C. Ranganathan, and V.N. Venkatakrishnan …. 104 Managing Government Regulatory Requirements for Security and Privacy Using Existing Standard Models Gregory Schymik and Dan Shoemaker…….…….….….… 112 Challenges of Mobile Healthcare Application Security Alan Rea………………………….……………. 118 E. Healthcare Management and Administration Analytical Methods for Planning and Scheduling Daily Work in Inpatient Care Settings: Opportunities for Research and Practice Laila Cure….….……………..….….….….… 121 Predictive Modeling in Post-reform Marketplace Wu-Chyuan Gau, Andrew France, Maria E. Moutinho, Carl D. Smith, and Morgan C. Wang…………...…. 131 A Study on Generic Prescription Substitution Policy as a Cost Containment Approach for Michigan’s Medicaid System Khandaker Nayeemul Islam…….…...……...………………….… 140 F. Health Information Technology Quality Assessment and Medical Service Delivery Theoretical, Methodological and Practical Challenges in Designing Formative Evaluations of Personal eHealth Tools Michael S. Dohan and Joseph Tan……………….……. 150 The Principles of Good Health Care in the U.S. in the 2010s Andrew Targowski…………………….……. 161 Health Information Technology in American Medicine: A Historical Perspective Kenneth A. Fisher………………….……. 171 G. Health Information Technology and Medical Practice Monitoring and Assisting Maternity-Infant Care in Rural Areas (MAMICare) Juan C. Lavariega, Gustavo Córdova, Lorena G Gómez, Alfonso Avila….… 175 An Empirical Study of Home Healthcare Robots Adoption Using the UTUAT Model Ahmad Alaiad, Lina Zhou, and Gunes Koru.…………………….….………. 185 HDQM2: Healthcare Data Quality Maturity Model Javier Mauricio Pinto-Valverde, Miguel Ángel Pérez-Guardado, Lorena Gomez-Martinez, Martha Corrales-Estrada, and Juan Carlos Lavariega-Jarquín.… 199 IV. A List of Reviewers …………………………..…….………………………208 V. WMU – IT Forum 2014 Call for Papers …..…….…………………20