scholarly journals Information Security Risk Assessment in Hospitals

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haleh Ayatollahi ◽  
Ghazal Shagerdi

Background: To date, many efforts have been made to classify information security threats, especially in the healthcare area. However, there are still many unknown risks which may threat the security of health information and their resources especially in the hospitals. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the risks threatening information security in the hospitals located in one of the northwest cities of Iran. Method: This study was completed in 2014. The participants were information technology managers who worked in the hospitals (n=27). The research instrument was a questionnaire composed of a number of open and closed questions. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed, and the reliability of the closed questions was measured by using the test-retest method (r =0.78). Results: The results showed that among the information security risks, fire found to be a high probability/high impact risk factor. Human and physical/environmental threats were among the low probability risk factors. Regarding the information security safeguards used in the hospitals, the results showed that the use of the technical safeguards was the most frequent one (n =22, 91.7%) compared to the administrative (n =21, 87.5%) and the physical safeguards (n =16, 66.7%). Conclusion: The high probability risk factors require quick corrective actions to be taken. Therefore, the underlying causes of such threats should be identified and controlled before experiencing adverse effects. It is also important to note that information security in health care systems needs to be considered at a macro level with respect to the national interests and policies.

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmé Eggink ◽  
Eric P. Moll van Charante ◽  
Willem A. van Gool ◽  
Edo Richard

The global number of people living with dementia is expected to increase to 130 million in 2050. Based on extensive evidence from observational studies, it is estimated that about 30% of dementia cases may be attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors. This suggests that interventions targeting these factors could perhaps delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Since the vast majority of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries, such interventions should preferably be easy and affordable to implement across a wide range of health care systems. However, to date, results from dementia prevention trials do not provide convincing evidence that treatment of these risk factors reduces the risk of dementia. The current paper aims to give an overview of available evidence for the potential for dementia prevention. In particular, we discuss methodological issues that might complicate the development of effective prevention interventions and explore the opportunities and challenges for future dementia prevention research. Currently, several ongoing and planned trials are testing the effect of multi-domain interventions on dementia risk in high-risk populations. It is desirable that future dementia strategies also target the wider population, through interventions on the individual, community, and population level, in order to constrain the growing prevalence of dementia worldwide.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (03) ◽  
pp. 237-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amytis Towfighi ◽  
Valerie Hill

AbstractThe pathophysiology of stroke is well characterized, and 9 out of 10 strokes are due to modifiable factors. However, preventive strategies thus far have been relatively ineffective in curbing the global stroke burden, which is projected to increase given the aging of the world's population and epidemiological transition in many low- to middle-income countries. In this review we will summarize our current understanding of behavioral, environmental, and metabolic stroke risk factors not covered elsewhere in this issue. Specifically, we will review the evidence for environmental and household air pollution, smoking, and alcohol use. We will subsequently provide a conceptual framework for stroke prevention strategies, categorizing them as those aimed at changing health care systems and/or provider behavior and those targeting behaviors of patients and/or their caregivers, families, and support networks. The field of stroke prevention is relatively nascent, and little is known about how to optimize health care systems so that providers prescribe evidence-based care for stroke prevention, patients have access to care to receive such services, adherence and control of risk factors are optimized, and patients are empowered to manage their own risk factors and make lifestyle changes, including eating healthy diets (high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in sodium and sugar-sweetened beverages), engaging in regular physical activity, not smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption. In the next several years, we will likely develop a better understanding of which strategies are effective for modifying vascular risk factors, and how to design and implement successful interventions. Key questions to be answered include optimal theoretical frameworks, delivery models, team composition, timing, dose, intensity, and frequency, taking into account cultural, sociodemographic, and regional differences in patient populations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
Shokoufeh Hajsadeghi ◽  
Scott Reza Jafarian Kerman ◽  
Rashin Joodat ◽  
Maral Hejratie ◽  
Helen Vaferi ◽  
...  

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can be an ethnicity related disease and an important health issue for health-care systems. Thus, domestic recognition of risk factors and disease characteristics seem to be inevitable. This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiology, basic characteristics, and risk factors in patients with DVT.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all patients with primary or final diagnosis of DVT, confirmed by Doppler ultrasound in a 5-year period were included. Demographic data and prognosis were extracted from medical files. To evaluate the outcome of the patients after discharge, a phone-call follow-up was performed for all available patients.Results: Three-hundred seventy-one DVT patients were included with 232/139 male to female ratio. The mean age was 55.72±20.01 years with significant difference between genders (p=0.006). Mean weight was 88.97±10.2 kg with no significant difference between genders (p=0.74). The most common affected veins were common femoral vein (257 cases, 69.2%), followed by Popliteal, iliac, axillary, and subclavian veins. No season preference was seen in DVT occurrence. One-year survival of the patients after discharge was 92.6% and two-year survival was 87.7%.Conclusion: By knowing local information about this disease, health-care providers can give accurate warnings and suggestions to prevent the probable thrombosis chances. As Iran lacked information about DVT characteristics, this study can be an epidemiologic guide for health-care systems and an opening path for future studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (36) ◽  
pp. 1176-1185
Author(s):  
Esraa Abd Almuhsen ALI ◽  
Hussein Fadhil ALJAWADI

Congenital disabilities affect a remarkable proportion of neonates and have a significant role in hospital admission, morbidity, and pediatrics mortality. Besides, the long-term morbidity and disability caused by birth defects may have a considerable effect on the development of the child and family and health care systems. In Misan, congenital disabilities are considered a third common cause of neonatal mortality. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, types, and risk factors of congenital disabilities to have an action plan toward preventing the occurrence of these defects. A cross-sectional study performed in the neonatal care unit in Misan Hospital for Child and Maternity during the period of two years (2018 and 2019). Misan province is located in the South East of Iraq. The information was collected from the files of patients and registration records. Any delivered a live neonate with birth defects was enrolled in this study. These cases were diagnosed depending on history, clinical examination supported by other investigations, and radiographic studies whenever needed. The prevalence rates of congenital disabilities were 7.1/1000 and 6.6/1000 live birth in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Central nervous system involvement was the most typical pattern. Congenital disabilities were more frequent in male, single, and term babies of maternal age 18-35 years living in an urban area with a consanguinity history. Thus, the prevalence rate of congenital disabilities was notably high in Misan. Efforts toward prevention, as well as improving the prenatal diagnosis, would be essential.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-128
Author(s):  
Rina Samant ◽  
Sonia Samant

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of health risk factors and health care systems on child mortality and life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Cross-sectional multiple regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) are used to study the association between health risk factors such as incidence of tuberculosis and diabetes, and health care systems such as number of hospital beds per capita, and number of physicians per capita on life expectancy and child mortality. Data are obtained from the World Bank. For the purpose of this study, the LAC region is defined as the area from Mexico to the southern end of South America, as well as islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The conclusions of the study are that higher life expectancy is associated with higher per capita incomes and health expenditures. On the other hand, higher child mortality is associated with greater prevalence of communicable diseases and poor maternal pre-natal conditions. The macro policy implication is to focus on economic development and health care expenditure. The micro policy implication is to allocate more resources for maternal care, preventive care and eradication of communicable diseases. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
June Wei ◽  
Binshan Lin ◽  
Meiga Loho-Noya

This paper developed a method to assess information security risks in e-healthcare. Specifically, it first developed a static E-Healthcare Information Security Risk (EHISR) model to present thirty-three security risk factors by identifying information security threats and their sources in e-healthcare. Second, a dynamic E-Healthcare Information Flow (EHIF) model was developed to logically link these information risk factors in the EHISR model. Pattern analysis showed that information security risks could be classified into two levels, and versatility analysis showed that the overall security risks for eight information flows were close with a range from 55% to 86%. Third, one quantifiable approach based on a relative-weighted assessment model was developed to demonstrate how to assess the information security risks in e-healthcare. This quantitative security risk measurement establishes a reference point for assessing e-healthcare security risks and assists managers in selecting a reliable information flow infrastructure with a lower security risk level.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-258
Author(s):  
Andrea Martani ◽  
Georg Starke

Fostering the personal responsibility of patients is often considered a potential remedy for the problem of resource allocation in health care systems. In political and ethical debates, systems of rewards and punishments based on personal responsibility have proved very divisive. However, regardless of the controversies it has sparked, the implementation of personal responsibility in concrete policies has always encountered the problem of practical enforceability, i.e.how causally relevant behaviour can be tracked, allowing policies of this kind to be applied in a fine-grained, economically viable and accurate fashion. In this paper, we show how this hurdle can be seemingly overcome with the advent of digitalisation in health and delineate the potential impact of digitalisation on personal responsibility for health. We discuss how digitalisation – by datafying health and making patients transparent – promises to close the loophole of practical enforceability by allowing to trace health-related lifestyle choices of individuals as well as their exposure to avoidable risk factors. Digitalisation in health care thereby reinforces what Gerald Dworkin has called the causal aspect of personal responsibility and strengthens the implicit syllogism that – since exposure to risk factors happens at the individual level – responsibility for health should be ascribed to the individual. We conclude by addressing the limitations of this approach and suggest that there are other ways in which the potential of digitalisation can help with the allocation of resources in health care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Johnson ◽  
J. Miller

In today's environment health care has become a key issue. Initiatives such as BCMA, RFID, CPOE, and EHR that require expensive automation implementations are being scrutinized. This research transcript describes a process for: 1) evaluating health care economic societal impact, 2) evaluating the implementation costs for automation such as barcodes and RFID into the pharmaceutical supply chain, 3) evaluating the risk factors associated with integration of multiple healthcare automation initiatives. The research results to date describe lot control of track-able capsules from manufacturer, to dosage level administration in hospitals, and ingestion confirmation for at-home patients.


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