Practice Question
A nurse is conducting a telehealth visit and must ensure the client's privacy. Which action best protects the client's health information?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Conducting the visit in a private, secure location using an encrypted communication platform.
Rationale:
💎 A private, secure location prevents others from overhearing or viewing the client’s protected health information (PHI), which is essential for confidentiality.
💎 Using an encrypted communication platform ensures that any data transmitted is scrambled and cannot be easily intercepted or read by unauthorized users.
💎 This approach aligns with HIPAA and telehealth privacy standards, which stress secure video, audio, and data transmission.
💎 It also demonstrates professionalism and respect for the client’s right to privacy during virtual encounters.
💎 Combining physical privacy (private room) with technical security (encryption) is the best practice for protecting client health information in telehealth.
Hosting the visit in a public space to ensure internet access.
💎 A public space increases the risk that bystanders can overhear or see confidential health information, violating client privacy.
💎 Even if internet access is better, privacy and confidentiality must not be sacrificed for convenience.
💎 Public areas like cafés, lobbies, or shared offices do not provide control over who might listen or glance at the screen.
💎 This choice contradicts professional standards that require telehealth visits to occur in reasonably private, secure settings.
💎 Therefore, this option represents a high-risk practice and does not best protect the client’s health information.
Discussing the client's health details over an unsecure video call.
💎 An unsecure video call (non–HIPAA-compliant platform, no encryption) exposes PHI to interception by hackers or unauthorized third parties.
💎 Without appropriate security features, data such as names, diagnoses, and treatment plans can be captured or leaked.
💎 Telehealth guidelines recommend using secure, encrypted platforms, not generic or consumer-grade tools without healthcare protections.
💎 This option ignores the requirement to safeguard electronic transmission of health information.
💎 Because of its high risk to confidentiality and security, this is not an acceptable method for protecting client information.
Using the client's personal email to send confidential health information.
💎 Sending PHI via personal email can be unsafe if the email is not encrypted, shared with others, or accessed on unsecured devices.
💎 Personal email accounts may lack security controls and are vulnerable to hacking or accidental forwarding.
💎 Even if the client agrees, nurses must still follow facility policies and regulatory standards for secure communication.
💎 Safer options include secure patient portals or encrypted messaging within EHR systems.
💎 Because personal email does not reliably ensure privacy or data protection, this is not the best strategy for safeguarding health information.
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This question is from Examplify RN Informatics which contains 8 questions.
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Which of the following is the most effective practice for protecting client health information in electronic health records EHRY?
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: RN Informatics 🌐
- Answer Choices: 4