Healthcare security has become one of the biggest threats that affect the healthcare industry. Generally, professionals in the healthcare industry need to address security issues because the specifics are outlined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws in addition to the ethical commitment to assist patients plus the damage that security breaches can have on the lives of patients. The Electronic health record is also known as the EHRs or Electronic Medical Records (EMR) contains a lot of information that relates to the medical history of patients which makes the security of the hospital networks a big concern. EHRs make it possible for healthcare professionals to share vital information. Never before has it been possible for medical professionals to collaborate in a dynamic manner with the objective of meeting the requests of the patients. However, the interconnectedness in the healthcare sector means that there is a security risk, more specifically, consolidating all the vital information in the field makes it attractive to cybercriminals and hackers. Currently, medical organizations are expected to be vigilant in developing safeguards against all forms of online threats. Therefore, medical organizations are expected to be vigilant in developing safeguards that protect information against online threats, which is also why it is important to have a clear understanding of the protection and risks that are available.
Challenges in Implementing the EMR
There are possible health system security threats with the implementation of EMR including the following;
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Staff
EMR records contain a lot of information as it relates to the patients and employees often have easy access to the files. Even though most of them will not abuse their powers, there is no guarantee that some will not steal sensitive data. In turn, criminals can use the information in identity theft and intimidating or blackmailing individuals. Information can be taken in numerous ways such as accessing sensitive financial data or using the credit card number in engaging in some fraudulent purchases. Other employees can steal face sheets such as social security information and demographic information that can be used in committing some crimes ( Curley, 2012) .
Unintended staff action can also be a risk to the data security of healthcare facilities. The mistakes can range from misplacing the patient’s chart to the underperformance of the security system. They can also occur in situations where old computers have been disposed without the removal of patient information. Even though mistakes are likely to occur, protocols and quality control measures can reduce the negative impact of the mistakes.
Phishing and malware attempts
The most advanced phishing and malware schemes that aim at planting malicious scripts on the computer or aim at stilling credentials can be risky to the entire system. One of the biggest challenges that small practices face when implementing the EMR relates to malware because it introduces a nefarious cyber presence in the network. It has become vital to train the employee on ways of identifying phishing attempts such as getting emails from sites that look authentic that request for login information. Once the user gives the information, the hacker can access the system. Various kinds of viruses would access different data and sent it back to the hacker.
Vendors
Healthcare providers usually work with different vendors without analyzing their risks. For instant, most of the hospitals hire the cleaning company whose employees can have access to the computers. Even though information that relates to patients needs to be confidential and protected from being accessed by the average employee, it becomes hard to safeguard all the access points because maintenance and cleaning are vital in maintaining a good environment.
Online Medical Devices
There is usually the lack of security in the online medical devices which then makes them an easy target for the hackers. In the past, tools like infusion pumps only gave data to the patients and doctors involved in the process. However, with the development of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), the devices have now been designed to move information to the external sources. They have also been developed to interact with the world that is outside the office of the doctor. However, the data is at the risk of being manipulated and intercepted thus resulting in many issues. Also, hackers can have access to many items that are linked to the network including the way that machines function ( McConnell, 2019) .
Reflection
The challenges identified in the implementation of an EMR in small practices are often not different from those affecting large healthcare organization. The main reason is that the system used is the same thus has the same challenge. However, it is worth noting that larger facility has better capabilities of dealing with the threats because they often have better resources to train employees and take other necessary actions.
Key Stakeholders to Benefit from Training on Health System Security
Stakeholders include individuals who affect or are affected by the issues related to the EMR. They include the healthcare practitioners who constantly use the EMR to access data that helps in making sure that there is quality healthcare ( Wager, 2017) . Training the employees helps them have a better understanding on the health system security and the effect that it has on the lives of patients when an environment has been developed that ensures that security is respected and valued. Regular training in the security of the organization indicates the effort that the organization places on cybersecurity.
The management group is the next group of stakeholders to benefit from the training. They will have the knowledge needed to develop procedures that provide protocols for dealing with networks and information and also make sure that they are followed. Expressing the expectations ensures that the process becomes standardized thus allowing a more comprehensive oversight to be used by the network security monitors.
Training Strategy
The best training strategy for employees is outlined as shown below that ensures that there are effective utilization and support of the EMR.
Identifying the basic computer skills among the employees
The first stage in the training process is identifying the needs of the employees, more specifically their current computer skills and any gap that can hinder them from using EMR. The step helps in identifying if the employees can perform complex tasks on the computer and their levels of computer proficiency.
Identifying super users
The next step is identifying those who have a better understanding of the system and who can help other staff to answer complex EMR questions. They will have the responsibility of teaching other employees on ways of navigating the system.
Train employees on areas that they will use
It is not realistic or practical to train employees on all the features of the EHR. To avoid slow implementation and frustration among employees, they need to learn only on the features that they use and the security issues to look for ( Skolnik, 2011) . It will also increase the security of the system by decreasing the risk of accessing unauthorized data.
Feedback
Once the training has ended, and the employees start using it, feedback is necessary to identify an issue that needs to be solved.
Key Elements of the Training
The key elements to be in training include the processes involved in EMR and the information that the employees need to know based on their duties and responsibilities. The training needs to be conducted after six months because of the constant change in technology. The training needs to be done frequently to ensure that employees are up-to-date with the changes in technology.
Conclusion
Healthcare security has become vital in today’s world considering a large amount of patients’ data that are put in the systems. Training employees on how to use the EMR plus the security issues helps in improving not only the security of the system but also the accuracy of data stored.
References
Curley, A. L. C., & Vitale, P. A. (2012). Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice . New York, N.Y: Springer Pub. Co.
McConnell, C. (2019). Hospitals and Health Systems: What they are and how they work . Place of publication not identified: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Skolnik, N. S. (2011). Electronic Medical Records [recurso electrónico]: A Practical Guide for Primary Care . Estados Unidos: Humana Press.
Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2017). Health care information systems: A practical approach for health care management . San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass.
