Patients As Priority

Organisations have the responsibility of protecting the privacy and personal medical information of every patient.

- Rajesh Maurya

 The healthcare space is undergoing drastic changes in terms of operations and patient communication as a result of digital transformation initiatives and the patient-centric care movement.

Healthcare providers are implementing new technology to improve patient care and outcomes. Such innovation has simplified physician-patient communication through applications and wearable devices, as well as physician collaboration through electronic health records and cloud analytics. Now, patients are able to talk to doctors and get medical care without physically going to medical facilities, and doctors are able to perform research leveraging newly available computing power.

These advancements in healthcare have opened up immense opportunities for medical communities. However, they have also opened up opportunities for cybercriminals. Greater technology use means increased attack vectors for cybercriminals to target as a means to steal confidential data, with 90% of healthcare providers having been victims of at least one data breach in the last two years.

Healthcare organisation also have the added responsibility of protecting the privacy and personal medical information of every patient.

When it comes to protecting patient information and proprietary medical research, the healthcare industry faces significant cybersecurity challenges every day. The adoption of new medical technology—including electronic health records (EHRs), online patient portals, connected devices and wearables—offers improved patient care and convenience. However, it also creates greater opportunity for attack.