In today’s healthcare landscape, data breaches have become an alarming norm. Whether it’s patient data released via Facebook, phishing reports of criminal activity, or data dissemination via Google, breaches are on the rise.
To confront these risks head-on, healthcare systems should re-evaluate their security strategies and take immediate action to fortify their defence against data breaches.
Step 1 Understand why security leaks may arise
Data leaks have different causes, but they all share one characteristic: they always arise from the weakest link.
For example, a new external tool to facilitate appointment scheduling may simplify the patient journey, but it might also, if not properly checked, store data on Facebook or Google.
Learning about potential vulnerabilities is the first step towards building a more secure infrastructure. The second is identifying them within your own organisation.
Step 2 Analyse the patient data trail
Every patient interaction and touchpoint with the patient can be the cause of a weak link. For example, your website, social channels, communication tools, and the internal software where the doctor enters patient data all process sensitive data.
Start with mapping the patient journey and understanding where patient data is processed and who is processing the data. Typically, the owner of these data touchpoints are: