The wireless body area network has emerged as a new technology for e-healthcare that allows the data of a patient's vital body parameters and movements to be collected by small wearable or implantable sensors and communicated using short-range wireless communication techniques. WBAN has shown great potential in improving healthcare quality, and thus has found a wide range of applications from ubiquitous health monitoring and computer assisted rehabilitation to emergency medical response systems. The security and privacy protection of the data collected from a WBAN, either while stored inside the WBAN or during their transmission outside of the WBAN, is a major unsolved concern, with challenges coming from stringent resource constraints of WBAN devices, and the high demand for both security/privacy and practicality/usability. In this article we look into two important data security issues: secure and dependable distributed data storage, and fine-grained distributed data access control for sensitive and private patient medical data. We discuss various practical issues that need to be taken into account while fulfilling the security and privacy requirements. Relevant solutions in sensor networks and WBANs are surveyed, and their applicability is analyzed.

Data security and privacy in wireless body area networks

The Observational CER User's Guide serves as a resource for investigators and stakeholders when designing observational comparative effectiveness research (CER) studies, particularly those with findings that are intended to translate into decisions or actions. The User's Guide provides principles for designing research that will inform health care decisions of patients and other stakeholders. Furthermore, it serves as a reference for increasing the transparency of the methods used in a study and standardizing the review of protocols through checklists provided in every chapter.

Developing a Protocol for Observational Comparative Effectiveness Research: A User's Guide

A Globally Optimal k-Anonymity Method for the De-Identification of Health Data

ContextAnecdotal reports suggest that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule (HIPAA Privacy Rule) may be affecting health research in the United States.ObjectiveTo survey epidemiologists about their experiences with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThirteen societies of epidemiology distributed a national Web-based survey; 2805 respondents accessed the survey Web site and 1527 eligible professionals anonymously answered questions.Main Outcome MeasuresResponses related influences such as research delays and added cost after Privacy Rule implementation, frequency and type of Privacy Rule–related institutional review board modifications, level of difficulty obtaining deidentified data and waivers, experiences with multisite studies, and perceived participant privacy benefits under the rule. Respondents ranked their perceptions of Privacy Rule influence on 5-point Likert scales.ResultsA total of 875 (67.8%) respondents reported that the HIPAA Privacy Rule has made research more difficult at a level of 4 to 5 on a Likert scale, in which 5 indicates a great deal of added cost and time to study completion. A total of 684 (52.1%) of respondents identified a “most affected” protocol. Respondents indicated that the proportion of institutional review board applications in which the Privacy Rule had a negative influence on human subjects (participants) protection was significantly greater than the proportion in which it had a positive influence (P < .001).ConclusionIn this national survey of clinical scientists, only a quarter perceived that the rule has enhanced participants' confidentiality and privacy, whereas the HIPAA Privacy Rule was perceived to have a substantial, negative influence on the conduct of human subjects health research, often adding uncertainty, cost, and delay.

Influence of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on health research.

Prior research suggests that the current global economic crisis may be negatively affecting population mental health. In that context, this paper has several goals: (1) to discuss theoretical and conceptual explanations for how and why economic downturns might negatively affect population mental health; (2) present an overview of the literature on the relationship between economic recessions and population mental health; (3) discuss the limitations of existing empirical work; and (4) highlight opportunities for improvements in both research and practice designed to mitigate any negative impact of economic declines on the mental health of populations. Research has consistently demonstrated that economic crises are negatively associated with population mental health. How economic downturns influence mental health should be considered in policies such as social protection programs that aim to promote recovery.

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Economic downturns and population mental health: research findings, gaps, challenges and priorities

In the short time since it became effective for health care organizations, a privacy regulation issued under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) has had a significant adverse impact on the conduct of clinical research in the United States, without a substantial corresponding increase in privacy protection for research participants. Some of the problems associated with HIPAA have been resolved through revisions since the regulation's initial promulgation in December 2000, and other problems can be addressed by better educating health care providers and researchers about its requirements and available alternatives for compliance; however, considerable structural challenges remain. These constitute substantial barriers to research and resulting medical advances. Additional revisions to HIPAA based on the principles and trade-offs reflected in the Common Rule—which responsibly balances an individual's interest in privacy protection with the public interest in gaining knowle...

Thomas J. Giordano

Papers

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule: Implications for Clinical Research