GUEST RESEARCH: As the healthcare sector moves to digitise processes and data there is an increase in adoption of technology in the workplace, challenging IT professionals to manage diverse portfolios of devices and significant security concerns. New global research from SOTI, The Technology Lifeline: Charting Digital Progress in Healthcare, highlights the scale of security risks, with 78% of global healthcare providers offering frontline services experiencing at least one data breach since 2021.
According to SOTI research, 91% of Australian healthcare IT professionals agree that one of their biggest concerns surrounding patient records is information being revealed, lost, stolen or not adequately backed up. Contributing to IT security incidents, 43% of Australian organisations experienced accidental data leaks from employees, compared to 35% from 2022. This led to a rise in overall data leaks from employees, with 66% of Australian healthcare organisations having experienced a planned or accidental data leak, and 63% experiencing a data breach from an outside source or DDoS attack.
"The consequences of security breaches in the healthcare sector go beyond the financial costs and regulatory penalties. Data security breaches in the healthcare sector not only compromise sensitive patient and worker information but can also erode trust between patients and their healthcare providers,” said SOTI senior vice president of product strategy Shash Anand.
SOTI surveyed 1,450 healthcare IT professionals across the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands and Australia. The report gains insight into the evolving landscape of healthcare technology adoption, exploring the impact of increasing technology implementation, the range of devices used and what challenges and security risks remain.
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The proliferation of unmanaged devices in healthcare creates security vulnerabilities
The scale and diversification of device implementation across the healthcare sector continues to grow. Fifty-one percent of Australian IT professionals report an increase in the mix of devices (mobile devices, tablets, rugged mobile computers and handheld printers) used in their healthcare organisation in the past year. An additional 39% of local IT professionals also reported an increase in the use of personal devices to access company systems and its network.
Alarmingly, 91% of Australian Healthcare IT professionals reported that their organisations used tablets/laptops and 87% used smartphones in the workplace, one-third of these devices were not managed or monitored by the IT team.
“Unmanaged devices in the healthcare sector create unnecessary security threats for healthcare organisations, putting sensitive patient data at risk,” said SOTI vice president of sales and marketing Michael Dyson.
The risks posed by outdated or legacy systems in the healthcare sector also cannot be overlooked, with 37% of global healthcare IT workers agreeing that these devices and systems expose their networks to security attacks.
“The proliferation and complexity of mobile devices in the healthcare sector, including legacy equipment, requires advanced management solutions to mitigate potential vulnerabilities and protect private healthcare data. To address this issue, healthcare organisations need robust device management solutions in place that feature strong security credentials. Solutions like SOTI MobiControl provides enhanced device visibility, security and management used for patient care, which can remotely manage and shut down any devices or IoT endpoints during a security breach," commented Dyson.
Investment In new technologies: automation continues in healthcare, but device downtime must be addressed
While security concerns are present in the healthcare sector, 93% of global IT professionals indicated that usage of new technologies was a priority to improve organisational efficiency and patient outcomes. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) were being actively investigated in the healthcare sector, with three-quarters of organisations in ‘research’ or ‘implementation’ phases with these new solutions.
The benefits of automating manual processes were also apparent to healthcare IT workers, with just under half of those researched revealing that one or more manual processes used within their organisation would benefit from being automated. The manual processes prioritised by Australian healthcare IT professionals for automation include:
- Collecting data during patient visits (51%)
- Accessing general medical information/resources (55%)
- Accessing and updating patient records (49%)
- Accessing test results (41%)
Digitising manual work in the healthcare sector helps to eliminate inefficiencies and reduces the volume of administrative tasks that can divert attention away from caregiving responsibilities. In recognition of the patient care benefits mobile devices bring, Hato Hone St John (Ambulance) recently underwent a major digital transformation project with SOTI.
“Hato Hone St John (Ambulance) deployed more than 2500 rugged Android tablets using the SOTI One Platform. With SOTI we have the ability to remotely support any issue our paramedics may experience and we are able to critically update user applications, meaning that our team always has the very latest app version and information in their hands to support positive patient outcomes,” said
Hato Hone digital product manager New Zealand Gabrielle Wildbore.
SOTI’s latest healthcare report can be downloaded here.
Report methodology
Using an online methodology, SOTI conducted 1,450 interviews with IT professionals in organisations providing frontline patient-facing healthcare services with 50+ employees across nine countries. All participants are aged 18 and over. Fieldwork was conducted from March 30 to April 18, 2023. The interviews are split as follows: U.S. (200 interviews), Canada (150 interviews), Mexico (150 interviews), UK (200 interviews), Germany (150 interviews), France (150 interviews), Sweden (150 interviews), Netherlands (150 interviews) and Australia (150 interviews).
About SOTI
SOTI is the world’s most trusted provider of mobile and IoT device management solutions, with more than 17,000 enterprise customers and millions of devices managed worldwide. SOTI’s innovative portfolio of solutions and services provides the tools organisations need to truly mobilise their operations and optimise their mobility investments. SOTI extends secure mobility management to provide an integrated solution to manage and secure all mobile devices and connected peripherals in an organisation. For more information, visit soti.net.
