Volume 26 • No. 5 • MAY 2002
Recent and Upcoming POE Improvements
Remote access to clinical applications being tested in pilot project
First phase of process redesign is over; changes now being implemented
Internet policy established to safeguard computer performance
Stanford, Packard hospital announce new chief information officer
New editor named for Medical Staff Update
Internet
policy established to safeguard computer performance
A new policy aimed at ensuring appropriate Internet use on hospital computers
as well as safeguarding the computer network has been approved by the
medical board and the boards for both Stanford Hospital & Clinics and
Packard Children's Hospital.
The new policy applies to the medical staff as well as employees and brings the hospitals in line with most other large health-care organizations, which already have such policies in place.
"The policy is there for two reasons: to make sure our computers are used appropriately and to protect a corporate asset that's critical to patient care - the network," explained Russ Peckenpaugh, vice president of information technology.
Among its key provisions, the policy states that:
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Hospital computers should be used for business purposes and not for
personal use or entertainment.
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The computers should not be used for such activities as video games
or online chat groups.
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High-bandwidth programs unrelated to business should not be downloaded,
including videos, games, online music and screen savers. Such programs
can slow down the network significantly and can introduce bugs or viruses
that could crash workstations or the entire network.
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Material that is fraudulent, harassing, obscene, intimidating, defamatory
or otherwise offensive should not be downloaded to or stored on any
hospital computer. Users encountering such material should report the
incident to their supervisors or the Human Resources Department.
- Computer users should not have an expectation of privacy regarding the material they create, store, view or send from their computer. If problems are suspected, the IT department may monitor the activity of particular workstations.
"These provisions are really just common sense," Peckenpaugh said. "When a doctor walks up to a workstation, we want to ensure that it hasn't been compromised in some way, and that the computer and the system are performing as well as possible."
Andrew Newman, chair of the information systems committee, explained that "you have to look at the computer network as a living organism. If you allow people to alter small parts of the system, it could adversely affect the functioning of the entire network."
While computer users often assume that programs as innocuous as screen savers couldn't cause any harm, such programs can make unintended modifications to a workstation or the network, which could cause either one to crash. "When that happens, we have to re-image the workstation - wipe it clean and re-install all the programs," Peckenpaugh said.
The new Internet policy does not preclude physicians or staff from using e-mail for occasional communication with friends or family. And it does not prevent physicians from using Internet applications for clinical purposes, such as an online consultation with an off-site physician.
Newman said the policy creates an environment that allows Stanford to move forward with remote access, whereby physicians can access clinical applications from any computer with an Internet browser. Hospital officials are beginning a pilot project to implement remote access to eight key clinical applications (see Remote Access story).
"You really can't do anything with remote access until you establish a policy that says, 'This is how we'll use the Internet and make sure we don't abuse it,'" Newman said. "It's time we have a policy in place and move forward."
