The Role of Consumer Consent in Health Information Exchange (HIE) 

The traditional one-way information transfer considered the healthcare provider as the expert communicator and the patient as passive receiver of information. Patient-centered care operates based on patients’ preferences to improve patient safety and increase patient satisfaction and participation. A mutual exchange of information ensures that both patients and healthcare professionals form a partnership. Greater patients’ participation in Health Information Exchange can lead to higher degree of trust among all types of demographic groups. Patients need to be more engaged in decisions about data exchange through HIE in order to trust the technology and the healthcare system. The right of informed choice and consent is a meaningful means to achieve the support of consumers regarding HIE. However, the process of handling informed consent has caused variety of concerns such as security and privacy risks for patients. In this study, the role of consumer consent is discussed using the literature review method.

The full paper can be downloaded below.