Security leaders typically don’t prioritize concerns about burnout among healthcare staff, unless it directly impacts the security team. Their main focus revolves around ensuring compliance with HIPAA Privacy and Security regulations and preventing ransomware attacks to safeguard protected health information (PHI), especially critical medical records, life-support systems, and billing.
Nevertheless, enhancing the user experience with security measures can make the security team supportive of those grappling with burnout across the healthcare landscape.
The strain of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems significantly contributes to burnout among healthcare professionals. Documentation burdens, complex usability, and interruptions from electronic messaging and inboxes worsen the situation.
EHR systems often prioritize billing and documentation, increasing the workload for clinicians. For example, while patient portals facilitate communication between patients and providers, they can also overwhelm clinicians with additional messaging tasks.
Security professionals can empathize with the challenges faced by healthcare staff, as security measures frequently disrupt workflows and worsen user experiences. Aligning security policies and tools with the modernization of record management systems can help alleviate these issues.
Addressing Identity and Access Management:
Implementing Single Sign-On and password-less logins can simplify authentication processes. Exploring innovations in identity management, like Continuous Access Evaluation Protocol (CAEP), can reduce the need for frequent re-authentication. Implementing flexible, role-based access control schemes can empower medical assistants while maintaining data security.
Enhancing System Interoperability:
Reviewing recordkeeping policies to facilitate data exchange between systems can streamline workflows. Investing in centralized solutions for managing different record types can ensure consistent data governance.
Improving Connectivity:
Adopting “zero trust” principles can enhance trust in user identities and enable secure remote access to EHR systems. Considering Bring-your-own-Device (BYOD) policies can provide flexibility for staff accessing EHR systems.
Enhancing Awareness:
Tailoring security awareness training to address unique security challenges in healthcare settings can increase effectiveness. Reviewing record management workflows to optimize security prompts timing can minimize disruption to staff. Automating security measures, such as session timeouts, can reduce user distractions.
Fostering Human-centric Security:
Proposing workshops to identify user friction in systems and collaborating with IT and system leadership can alleviate stress for medical professionals. Engaging with vendors to prioritize user experience in security solutions selection criteria can drive improvements in the security posture of healthcare organizations.
