Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

In the context of healthcare, which of the following best describes 'decryption'?

1. Transforming plaintext into ciphertext

2. Reverting ciphertext back to plaintext

3. Breaking security protocols

4. Restricting access to patient information

The correct answer is: Reverting ciphertext back to plaintext

Decryption refers to the process of converting data that has been encoded or encrypted (known as ciphertext) back into its original form (plaintext) so that it can be read and understood. This process is crucial in healthcare settings where sensitive information must be protected to maintain patient confidentiality. When healthcare data is encrypted, it becomes unreadable to anyone who does not possess the correct key to decrypt it. Therefore, the correct choice highlights the essence of decryption as it directly addresses the reversal of the encryption process, allowing authorized users to access the original data securely. In contrast, the other options do not accurately capture the function of decryption. Transforming plaintext into ciphertext describes encryption, while breaking security protocols refers to unauthorized access, and restricting access to patient information describes access controls rather than the technical process of decryption itself.