Healthcare professionals’ perception of security of personal health devices

Abstract

With the rapid advances in the capabilities of telehealth devices and their increasing connection to the Internet, security is becoming an issue of major concern. Therefore, the perceptions of the healthcare professional regarding security are of interest, as the patients trust them to make informed decisions on issues concerning their privacy, data and health. Eight healthcare professionals were interviewed to determine their perceptions and knowledge of security in healthcare. The research further examines one specific aspect of security which was considered of significant concern; the authenticity of a device being from the actual manufacturer and not a counterfeit. This research proposes device registration together with digital signatures and One-time Passwords (OTP) to address the issue of counterfeit remote patient monitoring devices and identify and authenticate the user of the device.