A recent survey, released by FairWarning, Inc., details the overwhelming demand for tighter protections against data theft of medical records. The poll of more than 1,000 individuals reveals that U.K. patients think hospital executives should be held accountable for breaches of protected health information.

Patients concerned that their medical and personal information could be stolen want the NHS to take firm steps to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement of privacy regulations, and that access to their medical records is strictly controlled.

Major findings from the survey include:

• 87.1 percent of respondents think chief executives should be fired or fined if they were aware of threats to protected health information but failed to act and a serious breach occurred
• 73.3 percent think better enforcement of regulations would decrease breaches
• 62.1 percent approve of a national league table that shows the best and worst hospitals for data security
• 86.5 percent think a serious breach of medical information would cause damage to a hospital’s reputation
• 87.2 percent think the NHS should monitor who uses their files

More than 50 percent of respondents said they have or would withhold information about a sensitive personal medical matter from a healthcare provider with a poor record of protecting patient privacy. Nearly half of respondents went even further to say that they have or would put off seeking treatment if a hospital had a poor reputation for security.

“Modern patient care is very much information-based," said Kurt Long, founder and CEO of FairWarning. "Any obstacle to the free flow of information between care providers and patients, such as those caused by privacy concerns, can prevent patients from receiving the best possible care. Patients across the U.K. have enormous faith in the NHS, but this survey reveals that more needs to be done for medical information to be shared and exchanged securely, and so to ensure the best patient outcomes.”

More than 4 percent of respondents claimed their medical records had already been breached, but 75.5 percent said they value electronic medical records as an important tool for physicians to share information and keep patient data up-to-date.

“It is vital for the future of the NHS that patient information can be freely exchanged between the clinicians," said Ted Boyle, specialist health IT consultant and former systems administration and security manager at NHS Lothian. "At the same time patients have a right to expect that sensitive information about them will remain confidential. For this to happen it is essential that advanced security systems are in place to monitor exactly who is accessing people’s records in order to prevent patient data from being abused."