Protecting Your Privacy (NAPSA)—Some people are taking an unhealthy interest in your medical information—butthey can be stopped. The Problem With data breaches occurring across > many industries, even sensitive data per- taining to patienthealth care recordsis at risk. A recent University of Phoenix study of 504 registered nurses and administrative staff found that only a quarterof registered nurses have seen changes in the waytheir companies handle data security and patient privacy over the past year despite increased data breachesacrossall industries. The survey also found that 20 percent ofregistered nurses and 19 percent of administrative staff admitted their facilities have experienced a breach of private patient data. Furthermore, the Identity Theft Resource Center notes that, as of November 2017, there had been nearly 5 million data breaches in the health care industry. These breaches can be detri- mental to organizations: According to IBM’s 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study, health care is the most costly industry for data breaches, with the average cost per affected record at $380. ‘Theissue is further compounded by a lack of trained cybersecurity professionals to combat hackers, especially in health care, where professionals make less and are responsible for not only protecting systems, but lives. Without trained experts, the onus falls on RNs and administrators, who may be unaware of how to identify or prevent breaches. Expert Advice “Patient safety transcends physical, emotional and electronic bounds and, in our increasingly digital world, it is important for health care professionals to be prepared for the possibility of data breaches,” said Doris Savron, exec- utive dean for the College of Health Professions, College of Education and College of Humanities & Sciences at University of Phoenix. “Everyone in the health care industry must work together to establish protocols and implementtraining to secure and pro- tect all patient data to reduce therisk of being compromised.” Nurses and administrative staff agree, with 23 percent of RNs and 34 percent of administrative staff stating that additional support andtraining is needed for health care privacy andsecurity. “Health care organizations are extremely susceptible to humanerror. If “ Health care facilities these days take several steps to ensure patient privacy—andyou can learn howto help. one employee accidentally invites mali- cious malwareinto a system, the impact can be catastrophic.To limit the amount of breaches, cybersecurity governance must improve; said Dennis Bonilla, executive dean for the College of Information Systems and Technology at University of Phoenix. “Without improved training and robust cybersecurity response plans incorporated into infor- mation technologystrategies, the health care industry will continue to bear the brunt of these attacks.” What's Being Done Current steps being taken to ensure the protection of patient data include: Updated privacy and access policies, according to more than two-thirds of RNsand administrative staff; Role-based access, according to 59 percent of RNs and 60 percent of administrative staff; and Data surveillance, according to most RNsand administrativestaff. “Understanding what we do well now to protect patient data can help us create an increasingly sophisticated framework to safeguard this sensitive information,” added Savron. “University of Phoenix offers degree andcertificate programsthat help prepare health care professionals to provide the best possible care to their patients while taking steps to protect their personal information.” The school helps working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Learn More For information about programs offered through the College of Health Professions and College of Information Systems and Technology, visit phoenix. edu. For full survey information and an infographic, visit www.phoenix.edu/ about_us/media-center/news/uopxsurvey-finds-one-in-five-healthcareprofessionals-have-experienced-patientdata-breaches.html.
