Survey Finds Healthcare Workers Understand Security Measures but Still Share Sensitive Information Through Non-Secure Email

A survey published on HealthITSecurity.com found most healthcare workers share sensitive medical data via non-secure email, with 87 percent admitting to doing so, reports the National Law Review . The poll determined healthcare workers are 36 percent more likely to share regulated data using non-secure methods than financial service professionals, and 10 percent of healthcare employees admit they do not comply with their employer's security rules. In addition, more than 25 percent of respondents share sensitive data, documents, and information externally using personal sync and share services like Dropbox. Moreover, 29 percent of respondents across industries admit to sharing intellectual property via non-secure email externally. When deciding how to send sensitive documents, 60 percent of respondents across industries said they choose the least difficult option. Although a majority of healthcare employees understand their employers' information security policies and how to use the secure communications tools provided, they also indicated that they do whatever is easiest when they need to transfer data; 64 percent said when it comes to sharing data, email is the easiest option. The survey outcomes suggest organizations should have programs to create a culture of information security, with components such as reminders of why the security measures have been put in place, ways to make secure communication systems easier to use, soliciting employee feedback on ways to boost efficiency of secure communications, and audits of use of non-secure communication.