Although technological advances offer numerous benefits for society, it cannot be denied that technology has also increased the risks of fraud and virtual attacks.

Therefore, it is essential that financial institutions, shops, public and private companies, and even hospitals seek advanced security services and systems to guarantee the protection of data of users and comply with the regulations imposed on each sector.

If until recently hospital information security was a necessity, today it is an urgent obligation, given that virtual attacks have become, day by day, more frequent and sophisticated. Therefore, in today's post, we, the team from CodeBlog, will focus on this issue.

After all, within this context, the hospital sector has become an interesting target for criminals, and the best way to avoid attacks and protect patients' sensitive data is to invest in prevention. 

To do so, we have prepared an article aiming to highlight the key points regarding the importance of the Information Security Policy in hospitals. Follow along with us and check it out!

What is the Hospital Information Security Policy?

Also known by the acronym ISP (PSI in Portuguese), the Information Security Policy involves a set of practices and actions that are applied to guarantee the protection of patients' sensitive data.

Regardless of the context of the techniques, the purpose is always guided by the security of assets. However, what may change is the type of security requested by the organization's business model. The Information Security Policy of a bank, for example, is totally different from that applied in hospitals. This is because, while in the banking scenario there is concern regarding the confidentiality of financial records and the authenticity of transactions, in the hospital setting, the general function of the ISP is to safeguard patient data and unit systems.

Why is there a need to worry?

Regarding Information Security within the hospital area, the main concerns revolve around the correct functioning of all devices and the confidentiality of medical records.

In 2017, a historic event highlighted the importance of ISP in hospitals, when the WannaCry Ransomware (a crypto-ransomware affecting the Microsoft Windows operating system) spread globally, hijacked information and interrupted operations of companies in various segments, including hospitals, which even had to paralyze their chemotherapy sessions.

In the UK alone, 16 hospitals were paralyzed after the attack. In Brazil, the Barretos Cancer Hospital was also hit and took at least 5 days to normalize its operational activities and resume patient care.

According to the LGPD, General Data Protection Law 13,709, of August 14, 2018, the information stored in hospitals is considered extremely sensitive data, therefore, requiring special protection measures regarding the collection, storage, and handling of information.

In case of leaks, hospitals can be fined heavy amounts, which can reach up to 2% of the company's revenue.

For these and many other reasons, it is fundamental to protect the systems that handle this information against various types of risks such as accidents, negligence, natural disasters and, obviously, virtual attacks.

After all, when dealing with clinics and hospitals, failures and errors, regardless of the causes, can cost lives.

Thus, four essential security measures to protect medical information assets held by hospitals are fundamental:

• Physical Security Measures
  First of all, it is essential to establish physical security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the places where information systems are housed and safeguard facilities such as ICU beds and rooms, to prevent damage or interruptions in the operation of devices.

• Human security measures
  There is no use in operating with the help of the best security systems if the human factor is not set up correctly. Therefore, it is essential to establish measures to monitor and delegate responsibilities to all employees and ensure that all staff master the content of the information security policy. 

• Technical security measures
  Access control, audits, automatic backups, antiviruses, and various managed Information Technology services comprise some of the crucial tools to ensure adequate protection of medical information against unauthorized access, data leaks, or system interruption.

• Operational measures
  Finally, operational measures are the key to ensuring the effectiveness of the information security policy implemented by the company. For this, it is necessary to monitor the status of operations and check possible optimizations to minimize the chances of potential system errors.

Conclusion

With so many vulnerabilities, it is essential that public and private healthcare systems have security measures to guarantee not only the compliance of the work performed, but also the security of patients' sensitive data. In other words, it is fundamental that these institutions choose good management systems and prioritize those capable of integrating the necessary security features.

So, did you enjoy learning more about the importance of Hospital Information Security? Then, keep an eye on CodeBlog. Soon, we will have news and share more solutions from CodeBit to meet the demand regarding security in systems. Also, access our social networks (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn) and stay on top of everything that happens.

Warm regards and see you in the next post.