Securing future healthcare environments in a post-COVID-19 world: moving from frameworks to prototypes

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Cybersecurity
• Telemedicine

Background:

• The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, eHealth, and mHealth technologies offers transformative potential for healthcare delivery.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the need for remote healthcare solutions, increasing reliance on digital platforms.
• This digital shift necessitates a robust examination of security for healthcare platforms, encompassing data, network, and cyber-physical security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the critical security needs of eHealth and mHealth systems within national healthcare frameworks.
• To transition from theoretical security frameworks to practical, implementable prototypes for healthcare platforms.
• To develop and evaluate a novel security framework and prototype tailored for secure healthcare environments.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of existing security frameworks for eHealth and mHealth.
• Development of a new reference model for healthcare security.
• Implementation of a prototype security framework utilizing Capabilities, Secure Remote Procedure Calls, and a Service Management Framework.

Main Results:

• A novel reference model for healthcare security was established.
• An implementation framework incorporating advanced security mechanisms was developed.
• The prototype was successfully evaluated against practical security requirements for healthcare systems.

Conclusions:

• Existing security frameworks require enhancement with integrated mechanisms to meet comprehensive healthcare system needs.
• The developed prototype demonstrates a viable approach to implementing essential security for eHealth and mHealth.
• Moving from theoretical frameworks to practical prototypes is crucial for securing future digital healthcare platforms.