Cyberattacks targeting health information systems can cause considerable damage and stress, but there are ways to reduce the risk of these events, write authors in CMAJ ( Canadian Medical Association Journal ) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230436 .
"With respect to cybersecurity, a bit of prevention is worth a terabyte of cure," writes Vinyas Harish, MD/PhD candidate at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine, with coauthors, in an article outlining the impact of cyberattacks on Canadian health information systems and how clinicians in hospitals and individual clinics can improve their cybersecurity practices.
This advice is particularly relevant, with several hospitals in southwestern Ontario reporting a recent cyberattack that has caused substantial disruptions in patient care.
The authors outline stages to help navigate cyberattacks, based on the US National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cybersecurity Framework:
"Preventing cyberattacks involves navigating trade-offs between keeping workflows efficient and reducing risk amid threats that are growing in frequency, severity and sophistication. As national and regional policies develop, health organizations, practices and individual clinicians must take a proactive approach to improving their cybersecurity posture," the authors conclude.
Canadian Medical Association Journal
Cyberattacks on Canadian health information systems
20-Nov-2023