A home health agency plans to implement a computer system whereby its nurses document home care services on a laptop computer taken to the patient's home. What would be the best practice to protect laptop and network data from a virus introduced from an external device?

The best practice for protecting laptop and network data from a virus introduced from an external device is to use personal firewall software. A personal firewall serves as a barrier between the laptop and potential threats coming from outside sources, including external devices that could carry viruses or malware. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and can block unauthorized access or potentially harmful connections, thereby providing an essential layer of defense.

By implementing personal firewall software, the home health agency can ensure that any data transactions or connections made by the laptop while in a patient's home are secure, helping to protect sensitive health information. This is particularly important in a home health setting, where devices may frequently connect to different networks, increasing the risk of exposure to external threats.

In the context of the other options, while biometrics and encryption are important for securing data, they primarily focus on user access and protecting data at rest or in transit rather than specifically addressing real-time threats from external devices. Session terminations are also useful but mainly deal with inactivity or timeout for user sessions rather than providing active protection against incoming threats.