Safety policies, data protection needed for BYOD in health care

Bring your own device technology improves patient outcomes and saves money for hospitals by allowing physicians to use their own mobile devices to access, collect, share and store patient information within the palm of their hands, but with these advantages come cybersecurity risks.There is also a need for mobile device management policies that are in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Act (HITECH) regulations, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Librarianship by Jennifer E. Moyer, BSN, RN, of the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences, and colleagues. It is currently estimated that more than 85% of U.S. health care professionals bring their own device to work, according to a recent Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) study.