A hospital uses a network to share patient records between departments. (a) Explain why the hospital should use an intranet rather than the internet for sha...
Question 1 Report
A hospital uses a network to share patient records between departments.
(a) Explain why the hospital should use an intranet rather than the internet for sharing patient records. [2]
(b) Complete the table describing two security measures.
| Security measure | How it protects patient data |
|---|---|
| Encryption | |
| User authentication and access levels |
[4]
Answer Details
(a) The hospital should use an intranet because patient records contain highly sensitive personal and medical data that must be kept confidential under data protection laws. [1] An intranet restricts access to authorised staff within the hospital network, whereas using the public internet would expose the data to external threats such as hackers and unauthorised access. [1]
(b)
| Security measure | How it protects patient data |
|---|---|
| Encryption | Encryption scrambles data as it is transmitted across the network, converting it into an unreadable format. [1] Even if the data is intercepted during transmission, it cannot be read without the correct decryption key, keeping patient records confidential. [1] |
| User authentication and access levels | User authentication (usernames and passwords) ensures that only authorised hospital staff can log in to the system. [1] Access levels then control what each user can see and do: for example, a receptionist might only view appointment details, while a doctor can access full medical records. This limits exposure of sensitive data. [1] |
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