What is the legal term used to describe the physical and electronic protection of health information?

• A. Access
• B. Confidentiality
• C. Privacy
• D. Security

Answer: (D)

Security is the term that describes protecting health information through safeguards in both physical and electronic forms. It covers measures like locked facilities, limited access, and surveillance for physical protection, as well as access controls, authentication, encryption, and audit trails for electronic protection. Under HIPAA, the Security Rule specifically focuses on these safeguards to shield electronic PHI, while privacy concerns the individual's rights over how information is used and disclosed, and confidentiality refers to keeping information secret from unauthorized parties. Access is about who can view data, not the protective measures themselves. So the protection of health information in both realms is best described as security.