User Interaction with Healthcare Information Systems: Do Healthcare Professionals Want to Comply with HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is US legislation aimed at protecting patient privacy, but it imposes a significant burden on healthcare employees, especially since healthcare system interfaces may not fully support the goals of HIPAA protections. A study of healthcare employees’ attitudes and perceptions indicate that characteristics of their organization explain some of the differences in their intent to comply with this legislation. Public hospitals are more likely to foster compliance attitudes than private facilities. Further, administrative staff members are generally more likely than medical staff members to have attitudes leading to compliance. Implications and future research directions are presented.