Cybersecurity Interventions in Health Care Organizations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Public Health
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Global health care organizations face increasing cyberattacks, disrupting services and patient safety.
• Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are particularly vulnerable, necessitating exploration of cyber resilience strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe cybersecurity interventions implemented in LMICs health care organizations.
• To evaluate the impact of these interventions on cyberattack likelihood and severity.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to implementing cybersecurity interventions in LMICs.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search (Jan 2017-July 2024) across multiple databases and gray literature.
• Included studies were mapped against the Essentials of Cybersecurity in Health Care Organizations (ECHO) framework.
• Narrative synthesis was used to present findings.

Main Results:

• Twenty studies were included, primarily from 14 countries, with most focusing on 1-5 facilities.
• Cybersecurity interventions were often not the primary focus, requiring deduction of implemented strategies.
• Limited reporting on intervention impact and outcomes; facilitators and barriers were identified at national, organizational, and individual levels.

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists in research on cybersecurity interventions in LMICs health care.
• High heterogeneity in interventions, objectives, methods, and outcomes across studies.
• Future research should prioritize evaluating cybersecurity interventions and their impact to inform policy and practice.