Hospital Medical Equipment Data Security Governance: A Grounded Theory Informed Data Lifecycle and Governance Matrix...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Security
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Hospital medical equipment generates sensitive data requiring robust security.
• Existing data security protocols may lack comprehensive governance and auditability.
• Need for a structured approach to manage data security across the equipment lifecycle.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a reproducible governance protocol for hospital medical equipment data security.
• To operationalize a matrix-based audit and tracking system for medical equipment data.
• To enhance data security, compliance, and incident preparedness in public hospitals.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative evidence collection through semi-structured interviews with 48 stakeholders in 14 tertiary public hospitals.
• Grounded theory analysis (open, axial, selective coding) to identify core categories.
• Development of the Medical Equipment Data Security Audit and Tracking Protocol based on SQ (I SPORT) matrix logic.

Main Results:

• A novel Medical Equipment Data Security Audit and Tracking Protocol (M-ATSSPD) was developed.
• The protocol maps six data lifecycle stages to six governance domains using a scoring system and heat map visualization.
• Defined cell-level ownership and documentation requirements to improve coordination and preparedness.

Conclusions:

• The M-ATSSPD provides a reproducible framework for hospital medical equipment data security.
• The protocol facilitates risk identification, prioritization of corrective actions, and iterative improvement.
• The M-ATSSPD is designed for transferability across public hospital settings, enhancing overall data security posture.