Data Security in Digital Health: Safeguarding Patient Information
As technological advancements in digital health continue to drive changes in the healthcare industry, the risk of data breaches increases as more and more threats arise. Integrating digital healthcare solutions like electronic health records, telemedicine, and connected medical devices has undoubtedly revolutionized healthcare practices, improving patient care and streamlining processes.
However, amidst these remarkable strides, the critical issue of data security looms large as healthcare organizations grapple with the responsibility of safeguarding sensitive patient information.
Healthcare organizations place a high priority on protecting patient data. A rise in cybersecurity threats has been observed in the sector, though. The present threat in digital health security emphasizes how crucial it is for the healthcare industry to have a comprehensive strategy for cyber security.
This is done not only to keep hackers away from sensitive patient information but also to preserve the confidence and trust of individuals who entrust healthcare professionals with their most private information.
In this article, we will take a look at what data security means and why it is important in the healthcare industry. We will also discuss the best measures a practice can take to increase the security of its organization. Continue reading to discover the steps you can take to safeguard the information about your patients and maintain their trust in your business.
What is Data Security?
Data security refers to the process of preventing unauthorized access to digital data when using digital healthcare solutions. In healthcare, data security is of the utmost importance. Data security protects healthcare organizations from cyber-security threats, data breaches, and other security issues.
Healthcare data security makes sure that healthcare data is protected from theft. Any unauthorized entry is likewise covered by the protection guarantee. It covers other illegal breaches of healthcare information security as well as the destruction of personal data.
Healthcare organizations are often targeted by hackers who want to steal personal information and commit fraud. OneTouchPoint said that a breach in July 2022 had a negative impact on about 2,651,396 people.
Importance of Data Security in Healthcare
Cybersecurity
In recent years, cyberattacks have become much more common in healthcare organizations as practices have started adopting digital healthcare solutions. A survey by Health IT found that 24% of health professionals in the US have not received any cybersecurity awareness training to help them recognize phishing efforts.
The survey also showed that hacking or IT incidents were responsible for 67% of these breaches, making them the main reason for data breaches in the healthcare sector. A data breach can have disastrous repercussions, including loss of money, harm to one’s reputation, and—most importantly—the invasion of patient privacy.
Patient Trust
Patient trust has immense importance in healthcare. Building this trust and confidence among patients requires data security in EHRs. Patients need to feel in control of who can access their personal information and that it is safe and secure. A poll by Accenture found that 75% of patients would be prepared to share their medical information if they felt secure in doing so.
Improved Patient Outcomes
EHR is one of the most vulnerable to data breaches. Thus, it is important to ensure data security in EHR. Better EHR protection results in better patient outcomes.
Patients might be reluctant to submit their information if they are worried about its security, which could result in incomplete or incorrect medical records and possibly jeopardize patient treatment.
Access to complete and accurate patient data can help medical professionals create more educated treatment plans and provide better care overall.
Compliance with Regulations
To ensure patient privacy and data security, the healthcare sector is heavily regulated. A federal law known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act establishes guidelines for the security and privacy of personal health information. HIPAA violations can lead to hefty fines, legal action, and other consequences.
How to Improve Data Security in Healthcare?
Restricted Access to Data
The first thing that needs to be done is to restrict access to data. By limiting access to patient data and digital health systems to only authorized personnel, access controls are put into place that strengthen healthcare data protection.
User authentication is necessary for restricting access and ensuring that only authorized users can access data that is being safeguarded. For this purpose, multi-factor authentication can be used.
It includes information that can only be known by the user, such as a password or PIN number; something that only the authorized user would have, such as a card or key; and something specific to the authorized user, such as biometrics or facial recognition.
Educate your Staff
One of the main causes of data breaches is human error. For healthcare organizations, a single human error or act of neglect can have catastrophic results.
Healthcare workers who participate in security awareness training have the knowledge they need to make wise judgments and exercise proper caution when handling patient data. Thus, it is important to train all staff on basic cybersecurity measures.
Regular Risk Assessments
Regular risk assessments can reveal security gaps or weak spots in the security plan of your healthcare organization, employee education issues, inadequate vendor and business associate security postures, and other areas of concern.
By evaluating risk across a healthcare organization on a regular basis and identifying and mitigating potential risks, healthcare providers and their business associates can avoid costly data breaches and the many other consequences of a data breach, ranging from reputational damage to regulatory penalties.
Implement Data Usage Controls
Protective data controls make it possible to warn of or stop unsafe or harmful data activities in real time. Data controls can be used by healthcare organizations to prevent particular acts involving sensitive data, such as printing, copying external drives, sending unauthorized emails, and uploading to websites.
Monitor Use
It is important to log all access and usage data. This allows providers and business partners to track which users are accessing what data, programs, and other resources, when, from which devices, and where.
These records are useful for audits, assisting organizations in locating problem areas, and, if necessary, stepping up security. When an incident occurs, an audit trail may help businesses identify the exact access points, ascertain the reason why, and assess the damage.
Back up Data
Offsite data backups are an essential component of recovery. Cyberattacks can disclose critical patient information as well as damage the integrity or availability of data. If data isn’t securely backed up, even a natural disaster affecting a healthcare organization’s data center can have fatal results.
In order to ensure the security of data backups, it is advised to do periodic offsite data backups with stringent controls for data encryption, access, and other best practices.
Encrypt Data at Rest and in Transit
Encryption is an important part of healthcare data security. Encryption allows only the intended parties to access the data during transit. Healthcare providers and business partners can make it harder for attackers to understand patient information even if they get access to the data by encrypting it both in transit and at rest. HIPAA recommends encryption depending upon the workflow of the healthcare practice.
Use of Secure Devices
Healthcare providers and entities are increasingly using mobile devices in their day-to-day operations. These devices must be secure as well. Security for mobile devices alone involves numerous security precautions, such as:
- Enforcing the use of strong passwords.
- Taking control of all equipment, preferences, and settings.
- Allowing for the remote wiping and locking of lost or stolen devices.
- Data encryption for applications.
- Keeping an eye on email accounts and attachments to guard against malware infections or unauthorized data theft.
- Educating users on the best practices for mobile device security.
- To ensure that only applications fulfilling pre-defined criteria or having been thoroughly validated can be deployed, guidelines or whitelisting procedures should be implemented.
- Requiring users to maintain the most recent operating system and application upgrades on their devices.
- Installing mobile security software, such as mobile device management solutions, is necessary.
Mitigate Connected Device Risks
The widespread use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to a wide variety of connected gadgets. Everything from medical equipment like blood pressure monitors to the cameras used to monitor on-site physical security may be connected to a network in the healthcare industry. To keep IoT devices secure according to standards:
- Ensure that IoT devices are connected to a separate network.
- Watch IoT device networks constantly for any abrupt changes in activity levels that might point to a breach.
- Before using non-essential services on devices, turn them off or completely uninstall them.
- When possible, use strong, multi-factor authentication.
- Update all connected devices often to ensure that all fixes are applied.
Ensuring HIPAA Compliance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) contains all regulations that ensure the secure storage and transit of healthcare data. Failure to meet these regulations can result in penalties. Making sure that all of the data entering and exiting your healthcare organization is compliant is not enough to comply with HIPAA.
If your hospital uses any software, you must confirm that it was developed in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. Therefore, in order to avoid penalties, healthcare organizations and their commercial partners must abide by HIPAA requirements.
Conclusion
The protection of patient information is not merely a legal obligation; it is a moral imperative. Patients entrust their most sensitive data to healthcare providers; thus, it is the provider’s responsibility to guard it with the utmost respect.
By implementing best cybersecurity practices, healthcare organizations can ensure patient privacy and data security, making healthcare a safer industry.
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