Search

BackgroundPatient portals allow communication with clinicians, access to test results, appointments, etc, and generally requires another set of log-ins and passwords, which can become cumbersome, as patients often have records at multiple institutions. Social credentials (eg, Google and Facebook) are increasingly used as a federated identity to allow access and reduce the password burden. Single Federated Identity Log-in for Electronic health records (Single-FILE) is a real-world test of the feasibility and acceptability of federated social credentials for patients to access their electronic health records (EHRs) at multiple organizations with a single sign-on (SSO).ObjectiveThis study aims to deploy a federated identity system for health care in a real-world environment so patients can safely use a social identity to access their EHR data at multiple organizations. This will help identify barriers and inform guidance for the deployment of such systems.MethodsSingle-FILE allowed patients to pick a social identity (such as Google or Facebook) as a federated identity for multisite EHR patient portal access with an SSO. Binding the identity to the patient's EHR records was performed by confirming that the patient had a valid portal log-in and sending a one-time passcode to a telephone (SMS text message or voice) number retrieved from the EHR. This reduced the risk of stolen EHR portal credentials. For a real-world test, we recruited 8 patients and (or) their caregivers who had EHR data at 2 independent health care facilities, enrolled them into Single-FILE, and allowed them to use their social identity credentials to access their patient records. We used a short qualitative interview to assess their interest and use of a federated identity for SSO. Single-FILE was implemented as a web-based patient portal, although the concept can be readily implemented on a variety of mobile platforms.ResultsWe interviewed the patients and their caregivers to assess their comfort levels with using a social identity for access. Patients noted that they appreciated only having to remember 1 log-in as part of Single-FILE and being able to sign up through Facebook.ConclusionsOur results indicate that from a technical perspective, a social identity can be used as a federated identity that is bound to a patient's EHR data. The one-time passcode sent to the patient's EHR phone number provided assurance that the binding is valid. The patients indicated that they were comfortable with using their social credentials instead of having to remember the log-in credentials for their EHR portal. Our experience will help inform the implementation of federated identity systems in health care in the United States.

Low sulfur heavy stock (LSHS Premium) is a green alternative to Fuel oil. Asphaltene content is a very important quality parameter and is stipulated in LSHS (Premium) specifications. IP 143 is a standard method to conduct the asphaltene analysis; however it is a tedious process which requires around 48 h for analysis. In this study, a correlation of two standard methods (IP 143 and JPI-5S-45-95) has been carried out based on the experimentally determined asphaltene contents of LSHS (Premium) samples from different production sources. The correlation coefficient between two standard methods is observed to be near unity, suggesting an excellent correlation. This indicates that JPI-5S-45-95 can be used as a substitute of IP 143 method for asphaltene analysis consuming less time (1 h). A correlation equation has also been established between CCR (ASTM D4530) and asphaltene contents (JPI-5S-45-95) of LSHS (Premium) which indicate the linear dependency of CCR with its asphaltene content. For validation of correlation equation, the calculated asphaltene content was compared with experimentally determined values and it is observed that this correlation equation can be employed to fairly predict the asphaltene content accurately without conducting IP 143 or JPI-5S-45-95 methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]