The Importance of Cybersecurity Training for Healthcare Staff

By: Michael Vincelette on October 8th, 2024

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The Importance of Cybersecurity Training for Healthcare Staff

When you think of cybersecurity, your mind most likely goes to firewalls, encryption protocols, and hefty virus and malware computer updates.

You may never give a thought to employees in the front office or in accounting. But you should.

The Role of Human Error in Cybersecurity

While a high-tech defense is essential to protecting your practice from breaches, cybersecurity training for healthcare employees is just as integral. Human error in cybersecurity often plays a role in breaches within healthcare settings. Big issues can stem from an employee's lack of awareness, insufficient training, or simple mistakes when handling sensitive data.

Some of the most common human errors are using weak passwords, sharing logins with others, clicking on malicious emails and links, sending sensitive information to the wrong person or place, and not following set security protocols.

Healthcare Staff Training as Part of Cybersecurity Defense

Equipping staff with the knowledge to recognize and respond to cybersecurity threats is as important to your practice's security as every high-tech defense you use. Employee awareness programs can inform every staff member how to manage private information and be a gatekeeper against cyber attackers. Training can also spark vigilance in staff to ensure they never waver from following every security protocol.

Components of Healthcare Staff Training Programs

Healthcare practices should include these three elements in their training programs to prepare their employees for cybersecurity readiness:

  • Phishing prevention tactics
    Train staff how to recognize a phishing scam. This includes how to recognize suspicious links, emails, and attachments. Stress the importance of always reporting a potential phishing scam to IT as soon as it's recognized.
  • Simulation exercises
    Run fake phishing scams to see if employees take the bait. This practice will show you who needs more training.
  • Ongoing cybersecurity education
    Cybercriminals are constantly creating new ways to breach your practice's defenses. Regularly re-train employees on policies and inform them of evolving scams as you hear about them.

Benefits of a Trained Workforce

Employees trained on data security best practices will be more likely to stay cautious about mistakes that could lead to a breach. They will also recognize threats and avoid missteps that could lead to a breach. Additionally, they'll be more likely to report suspicious behavior to IT, which may help the practice mitigate an attack.

How Managed IT Services Can Help with Training

Outsourcing your practice's IT support and service can take the burden of training your employees off you, so you can focus on serving your patients and growing your business. Managed IT services can assist in developing and implementing effective training programs tailored to the needs of healthcare practices. Integrity Systems & Solutions can help minimize the risk that human errors will lead to a costly data breach.

Healthcare practices must balance their high-tech defense against cyber threats with a comprehensive employee data security training program. Only by ensuring everyone in the office is constantly on guard can you be confident your practice is protected against breaches.