The healthcare industry has taken significant steps to make sure patients can put their trust in medical organizations. This is an essential factor when it comes to making critical medical decisions.
The sensitive information provided by patients to medical professionals cannot be compromised under any circumstances and must always remain secure. Therefore, businesses looking to survive in this competitive field must take all the necessary measures – including technological safeguards – to ensure patient data is not given out improperly, misused, or stolen by unauthorized third parties.
........................................................................................
Technology in the healthcare field has been around for decades. However, the use of newer technology is becoming more widely relied upon today. This includes computer use of AI, productive softwares and databases.
While there have always been worries about how to effectively protect medical information, significant progress has recently been achieved in this area. However, when discussing security and health care records, it’s critical to remember that we are also debating confidentiality. It is essential by all means possible so that patients aren’t at risk of sharing their personal information without their knowledge or permission.
Why is it so essential to protect patient confidentiality?
Keeping patient confidentiality is very important in the medical sector because it maintains integrity within the medical field, and it also follows for the following reasons:
- Trust: Medicine is all about trust. Patients share a lot of personal information with those who work in the healthcare industry, and this information is only for their use. The problem is that when people don’t have trusted relationships with whom they are sharing intimate details of their health, they cannot be sure if these details will be shared outside of the patient-doctor relationship.
- Digital hacking: Most patients’ health information is now kept digitally. While it’s convenient, digital storage leads to a greater risk of a hack. You wouldn’t want your personal health care information stolen, so take steps to avoid it! Keep yourself safe, and don’t let hackers do the same to you.
- Legal disciplinary action: Violating patient confidentiality can put you in hot water and your employer. It is therefore important to uphold such an ethical responsibility. Suppose you become privy to private information about those in your care. In that case, it is best to ignore such details and remember that professional associations like the RNLI offer support when dealing with this challenging situation.
To prevent a security breach’s financial and reputational damage, hospitals can provide better patient care and protect patients from financial harm. The “10 Tips for Protecting Patient Data” are steps healthcare executives should consider in their effort to protect patient information:
- Implement Endpoint Protection Solutions
Whatever be the nature and source of a cyber attack, controlling and monitoring each endpoint is vital to ensure data security.
Application whitelisting protects all the possible endpoints and enables an organization to implement the access control practices required to mitigate threats.
Moreover, traditional antivirus solutions are now obsolete, and it is advised by cybersecurity experts to migrate to the next-generation antivirus/antimalware solutions powered by artificial intelligence and deep learning capabilities to detect a security breach. You can also integrate the security solution with existing management solutions for all-around protection.
2. Define your hospital’s strategy for managing sensitive data
Data management is an important factor to consider when it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT) era. Many healthcare organizations are already deploying networks and that require HIPAA-compliant security irrespective of the data being stored there, whether in the cloud or just on an employee’s smartphone, for example. In addition, while you may think that filing a claim should be enough proof of patient identity, modern hospitals may ask for more sensitive data such as dates of birth – any information which could potentially identify a patient to make sure they receive the correct treatment from scratch and accredited medical practitioners.
3. Control Data Accessibility
According to a recent report from the Verizon breach investigation team, it was found that 58 percent of the healthcare data breaches in 2016 involved insiders. A good rule of thumb is that patient data should only be accessible on a need-to-know basis, and this will limit access and reduce the potential for users to view sensitive information such as social security numbers unnecessarily or unintentionally.
4. Train your end-users
The IT security program should include a strong employee education component. This includes instructional training on what does and doesn’t constitute a HIPAA violation, as well as lessons on avoiding phishing, social engineering, and other attacks that target employees.
5. Take Note of the Devices Your Data Passes Through
The Internet of Things has created a world where things are connected to networks and databases, making it increasingly easy for many devices to access your data. More employees accessing business software with mobile applications via personal devices means no more “slow” computers for them. However, this also makes it easier for criminals to hack into company data as well!
Wrapping Up
Healthcare is one of the most essential industries in the world. At its core, it’s about helping people – generally those who are sick or injured. While this is definitely a noble cause, healthcare providers aren’t known for doing things halfway. Just like with anything else, take care to ensure that you plan ahead and protect sensitive data from any prying eyes.
