By Milica Vojnic, business development associate, Wisetek.
Cybercrimes are on the rise across the Internet and the healthcare sector is certainly no different in terms of the risks. This is why storing patient data in a confidential manner is extremely important. Let us take a look at some effective practices as well as what benefits such methods entail.
Make Employees Aware of Potential Threats
In-house training is arguably one of the most important steps. Medical staff should be properly educated in regard to how data should be stored, collated and shared. Even simple mistakes can lead to serious security concerns, so this ground-up strategy will be quite effective.
Implement Access Control Points
Who will be provided with proprietary access to private patient data? Management needs to create layered access control points so that only specific individuals can retrieve sensitive information. While SSL encryption is a powerful tool, other methods such as two-factor authentication are equally valuable to employ.
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By Milica Vojnic, digital marketeer, Wisetek.
In no small part to the fact that we live within a decidedly digital society, it only stands to reason that securing personal and private information is now one of the most pertinent concerns. This is also why the European Union created the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protocol to mitigate the chances of private material falling into the wrong hands. Of course, some sectors tend to be more vulnerable than others. One striking example involves the e-health community. This article highlights the steps firms can take to better protect their clients and remain in full compliance with GDPR guidelines.
The Role of ITAD for Health Organizations
First and foremost, the notion of IT Asset Distribution (ITAD) is critical to address before moving on. The main concern involves the fact that important patient information (such as names, email addresses and financial details) may be inadvertently stored within end-of-life devices such as computers and mobile phones. If they are not disposed of properly, there is always a risk that this data can be subsequently accessed by a (potentially nefarious) third party. ITAD provides start-up healthcare organisations with a handful of options including:
- Overwriting the existing information.
- Magnetically erasing the data; rendering it completely inaccessible.
- Physically destroying the device(s) in question.
As these processes are not normally able to be accomplished through the use of in-house techniques, it is better to outsource such solutions to third-party vendors with a proven track record.
A Disturbing Trend Within the Healthcare Sector
Another issue which start-up online healthcare providers must overcome involves online security in relation to current GDRP regulations. This has been highlighted by a handful of stark facts; perhaps the most worrisome is that 66 percent of firms still do not utilise a secure HTTPS server. Not only will this place the data of patients at risk, but it also augments the chances that the website in question could fall victim to hacking and similar activities. Thus, it is crucial that all e-health portals adopt the appropriate SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) systems to avert any possible breaches sooner as opposed to later.
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