Demographic Comparison of Information Security Behavior Toward Health Information System Protection: Survey Study.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Security
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Health information systems (HIS) are expanding, increasing the importance of information security.
• The human factor is a significant threat to HIS security.
• Protecting sensitive health data is critical due to potential harm to human life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the information security behavior (ISB) of health information system (HIS) users.
• To assess ISB using a comprehensive scale tailored to healthcare security concerns.
• To examine the security behavior of health workers and patients, considering demographic variables.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative approach utilizing surveys of health workers and patients.
• Developed a research instrument from four existing scales to measure prosecurity and antisecurity behavior.
• Employed Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for statistical differences, and Spearman correlation for ISB and demographic relationships.

Main Results:

• Analyzed 421 survey responses, revealing significant differences in security behavior based on demographics.
• Education level, user type, gender, and age significantly impact ISB.
• Health workers demonstrated higher ISB than patients; older users and women showed more prosecurity behavior.

Conclusions:

• Patients' higher frequency of antisecurity behavior poses risks, necessitating targeted information security education.
• Further research is needed on ISB in healthcare, particularly from the understudied patient perspective.
• While education impacts ISB, higher education does not automatically ensure improved security behavior.