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1-2 Journal: Security Measures
SNHU
July 4,2022
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Title
The integration of technology has revolutionized the healthcare service domain. It has increased
the level of automation in the healthcare setting. At the same time, it has also increased the need
to deploy suitable security measures so that healthcare data can be protected in the online setting.
According to Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), ensuring
cybersecurity in the healthcare setting is vital to safeguard electronic assets and information from
unauthorized use, access and disclosure (HIMSS, 2021).
Security Measure Choices
In the highly uncertain and dynamic Information Technology setting in the healthcare
landscape, suitable security measures must be utilized by the healthcare employees. The three
vital security measures that should be adopted to strengthen the safety and security in the cyber
domain include restricting access to data and application, encryption of data and the use of
firewalls. The firewall would act as a barrier and block suspicious traffic. Similarly, data
encryption would ensure data confidentiality by encoding the data. According to researcher
Abouelmehdi et al (2018), preserving privacy and security is a fundamental necessity for
healthcare professionals. i The adoption of diverse measures needs to be deployed by professions
functioning in the healthcare domain so that healthcare data could be safeguarded from different
kinds of threats against current cyber threats (Abouelmehdi et al., 2018).
Security Measure Rationale
The rationale behind choosing restriction of access to data and application, data
encryption and the use of firewalls as the main security measures is to adopt a comprehensive
approach to tackle threats that arise in the online healthcare setting. These are some of the basic
security measures and controls that HIMSS has identified that every healthcare organization must
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have in place to curtail security incidents. In order to ensure that these security measures succeed
to safeguard the healthcare assets in the cyber domain, the role of Health Information
Management professionals would be vital. This is because these professionals could ensure that
they use their access rights cautiously while accessing sensitive patient information. Furthermore,
the HIM professionals would also upgrade their knowledge relating to cybersecurity aspects in
the healthcare domain so that proper response strategies could be adhered to (HIMSS, 2021, p. 3).
Importance of Data Security
It is very important to keep data secure in the healthcare setting as it involves safeguarding the
confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive healthcare data. It is considered to be an
indispensable element that can help in the normal functioning of health care facilities. Since
technology has been integrated into diverse healthcare processes it is necessary to adopt proper
measures that can help to tackle the online threats and risks that could cripple the functioning of
the healthcare system (HIMSS, 2021, p. 3). The chosen security measures would help to mitigate
and/or reduce the threats that arise online and impact the healthcare setting.
Role-Based Access
In order to boost security in the healthcare setting, assigning role-based access to
employees can play a vital role to enhance the security level. This approach would simplify and
strengthen the security management framework by ensuring that only authorized professionals
have access to certain data and applications. According to researcher Carvalho Junior (2018),
focusing on role-based access would ensure that there is proper authorization control over
healthcare assets (de Carvalho Junior & Bandiera-Paiva, 2018).
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Conclusion
The adoption of new kinds of digital technologies has increased the need to adopt suitable
security measures and tools in the healthcare setting. i Some of the main security measures that
have been identified to be included in the dynamic healthcare setting to protect healthcare data,
information and assets are role-based access to ensure restricted access is given to healthcare data
and application, data encryption and the use of firewalls. These tools would ensure that HIM
professionals are able to carry out their functions in a safe and secure online environment.
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References
Abouelmehdi, K., Beni-Hessane, A., & Khaloufi, H.(2018) Big healthcare data: preserving
security and privacy. J. Big Data 5 (1), 1–18.
de Carvalho Junior, M. A., & Bandiera-Paiva, P. (2018). Health information system role-based
access control current security trends and challenges. Journal of healthcare engineering,
2018.
HIMSS. (2021, February 15). Cybersecurity in Healthcare. HIMSS.
https://www.himss.org/resources/cybersecurity-healthcare.
