A new survey finds that there is a disconnect between data breaches and the level of confidence that healthcare professionals have in protecting sensitive patient medical and healthcare data.
The University of Phoenix College of Health Professions conducted an online survey of more than 500 registered nurses and healthcare administrative staff and found that 20 percent of RNs and 19 percent of administrative staff indicated that their facilities have experienced a breach of private patient data. An equal percentage of RNs (21 percent) do not know if their facility has or has not experienced a breach of patient data.
However, the disconnect appears in the level of confidence that healthcare professionals have with handling data breaches. Almost half of percent of RNs (48 percent) and 57 percent of administrative staff noting they are “very confident” in their facility’s ability to protect patient data against potential theft. When asked where they have seen the most changes occur in the industry over the last year, including quality of care, safety, digital health records and prevention and population health, only 25 percent of RNs and 40 percent of administrative staff cite data security and privacy.
“Patient safety is not just about physical and emotional well-being and protection, it also includes electronic records. In our increasingly digital world, it is critical for healthcare professionals at every level to prevent data breaches,” Doris Savron, executive dean for the Colleges of Health Professions at University of Phoenix, said in a statement. “Everyone in the healthcare industry must work together to establish protocols and implement training to secure and protect all patient data to reduce the risk of being compromised.”
Nurses and staff administrators agree, with 23 percent of RNs and 34 percent of administrative staff stating that additional support and training is needed for healthcare privacy and security. Current steps being taken to ensure the protection of patient data include:
- Updated privacy and access policies (according to 67 percent of RNs and 69 percent of administrative staff)
- Role-based access (according to 59 percent of RNs and 60 percent of administrative staff)
- Data surveillance (according to 56 percent of RNs and 55 percent of administrative staff)
“Healthcare organizations are extremely susceptible to human error. If one employee accidently invites malicious malware into a system, the impact can be catastrophic. To limit the amount of breaches, cybersecurity governance must improve,” Dennis Bonilla, executive dean for the College of Information Systems and Technology at University of Phoenix, said in a statement. “Without improved training and robust cybersecurity response plans incorporated into information technology strategies, the healthcare industry will continue to bear the brunt of these attacks.”
