A patient privacy centric access control model for EHR systems

The EHR systems consist of very sensitive data originated by the interaction of the patients with the healthcare system. In order to control who can do what on the data in the system, it is necessary to use a security mechanism that is the access control (AC). In this paper, an innovative AC model is defined. It meets the main features that have to be satisfied by an EHR. Our proposal is an advanced access control model that combines access control models known in the literature. It adds the characteristics of modularity and easiness in the management of access policies, focusing attention on patient's privacy and consent (patient privacy centric). The proposed model presents the following characteristics: attribute-based, multi-level, modular and with a dynamic and temporal management of the users' lists. Besides, we have defined support functionalities that allow patients, organisations and physicians to take advantage of the AC potential.