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1-2 Journal: Security Measures
SNHU
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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. e 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
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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 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
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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).
Conclusion
The adoption of new kinds of digital technologies has increased the need to adopt
suitable security measures and tools in the healthcare setting. e 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.
