Embedding a hiding function in a portable electronic health record for privacy preservation.

The objective of this study was to develop a method to hide information in a portable electronic health record (PEHR). In compliance with HIPAA guidelines, a hiding function for personal identifiers in a PEHR was implemented by recognizing and hiding techniques. The method emphasizes the feasibility of embedding a hiding function in a PEHR. The hiding function could be executed to hide identifiers in offline mode. The present study showed that embedding the hiding function in a PEHR is a practical way not only satisfies data confidentiability needs, but also meets patient's personal privacy requirements. The effects of executing the hiding function would be the same as through de-identification or anonymization process.