Security - Cyber, OPSEC

- DO NOT DELAY teleconsultation due to an unsecure connection unless operational requirements dictate otherwise.
- Traditional teleconsultation is UNCLASSIFIED; the local caregiver should maintain normal rules of operational security when utilizing unclassified networks. Most RE consultants DO NOT have access to SECRET communications, but this may be established in special circumstances after UNCLASSIFIED communication is established first.
- Maintaining patient privacy should be a priority, and many available tools for communication meet patient privacy requirements.
- When sending patient information or images by open communication methods, limit patient identification to sex and age. Location can be generic by addressing temperature (hot/warm/cold), surroundings (urban/rural), or environments (desert/tropical).
- Location to the level of continent or region can be useful for the consultant/expert to better identify diseases specific to certain areas (e.g., hemorrhagic fevers, malaria, etc.).