The totality of safeguards including hardware, software, personnel policies, information practice policies, disaster preparedness, and oversight is called what?

• A. System security
• B. Health information governance
• C. Physical security
• D. Data integrity

Answer: (A)

System security is the comprehensive protective framework for information systems, covering both the technology and the people and processes that run it. It includes safeguards at the hardware and software levels, as well as the personnel policies, information-use policies, disaster preparedness, and governance oversight that together protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data. This broad approach ensures that access is controlled, data remains accurate, and operations can continue despite disruptions.

Health information governance deals with managing health information across its lifecycle and ensuring privacy, quality, and accountability; it’s broader than just security controls. Physical security focuses on protecting physical assets like servers and facilities, but doesn’t fully address the software, policies, and disaster planning aspect. Data integrity concerns the accuracy and consistency of data, which is part of security but not the entire protective framework.