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Physician Awareness of Cybersecurity risks and the Barriers to Implementation of Cybersecurity Measures in a Private Healthcare Setting

Authors:
Njideka Nto
Ejike Nwokoro

Keywords: cybersecurity; physician awareness; healthcare; personal health information; health data breach.

Abstract:
The healthcare industry has witnessed significant advancement in recent years, with technological innovations and the application of digital health solutions that broaden access, playing a key role. This has led to a dramatic rise in the volume of patient and healthcare data available within the healthcare ecosystem and, along with this, greater attention and concerns around data security and the need to prevent data breaches. Needless to say, proactive cybersecurity measures are essential to mitigate risks, ensure resilience, and uphold the highest standards of patient care and trust. However, despite the widely accepted notion that robust cybersecurity measures are essential to fortify the resilience of medical infrastructure and mitigate the risk of service interruptions, there remains sparse evidence as to the state of cybersecurity behavior of health care workers and medical private practices. In view of this, this study seeks to explore health professionals’ attitudes to, and awareness of, cybersecurity considerations in a private healthcare setting, with a view to clarifying implementation barriers for routine cybersecurity measures. This survey-based cross-sectional study will adopt a thematic analysis approach that is aimed at identifying any patterns in clinicians’ perception/awareness of the threat to cybersecurity with respect to medical records and patient data, as well as bottlenecks that prevent the implementation of cybersecurity measures in practice. This study, which will commence in Q2 2024 within a large ambulatory care center, will add to the body of knowledge that will support the removal of barriers to the practical implementation of routine cybersecurity practices, particularly in a private healthcare setting.

Pages: 10 to 12

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2024

Publication date: June 30, 2024

Published in: conference

ISBN: 978-1-68558-180-0

Location: Porto, Portugal

Dates: from June 30, 2024 to July 4, 2024