The digital transformation of the healthcare industry did become a trending topic in Germany of the recent years. Causes for it have been the latest technological developments, Big Data, and the need for medical elucidation of patients. Unfortunately, Germany is not considered to be the pioneer in digitizing medical care in comparison to leading countries in the European Union, although the opportunities are promising. Next to ethical and technical challenges one major threat is created by the high quality of data security, which is required by German and European law, especially starting from 2018, when the new EU General Data Protection Regulation is entering into force.
This survey paper will firstly shed a light on opportunities and challenges of healthcare digitization in Germany before elaborating on the detailed root causes of harming the digitalization. The main focus will be to provide high quality data security in hospital IT in line with the applying laws and regulations. Therefore, two approaches by different authors will be assessed and compared.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Opportunities and Challenges of Healthcare Digitization
2.1 Leveraging Healthcare Digitization Opportunities
2.2 Analyzing Healthcare Digitization Challenges
2.3 Healthcare Data Security – Laws and Regulations
2.4 Data Security Issues in Hospitals
2.5 How to Provide High Quality Data Security
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine the current state of healthcare digitization in Germany, identifying the core opportunities and challenges while focusing on the critical necessity of robust data security in hospital IT environments to comply with modern legal frameworks.
- The status and barriers of digital transformation in German hospitals.
- Impacts of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and eHealth legislation.
- Technical and organizational challenges, including data security threats.
- Comparison of data-centric versus storage-centric approaches for securing sensitive medical data.
Excerpt from the Book
2.4 Data Security Issues in Hospitals
According to Masrom and Rahimly [12] the main purpose of data security in hospital information systems is to achieve patient safety and privacy. They define safety as providing the patient and medical staff with the most accurate information at the right time, whereas privacy characterizes the measurements of protecting the sensitive data from unauthorized access [12]. This concept represents the root causes of data security problems in hospitals. Based on these causes a technical approach to enhance data security will be exhibited in paragraph 2.5 rather than strategic response plans, such as integrity maintenance plan and disaster recovery plan.
Olaronke and Oluwaseun [4] are dividing the causes nourishing data security problems in hospitals as follows. The presence of fragmentation in healthcare data and systems is resulting in different security standards and interoberability capabilities, harming the possibilities of data security standards. An exchange of outdated systems would be reasonable, howerver not affordable, due to high cost. On top of fragmanted systems, the hospital IT department as well as management often lacks in know-how, making it even more difficult to progress. In addition, current technological characteristics, such as using XML for data exchange, are causing problems with regard to data security. This topic will be discussed within the fourth concept of this review. Furthermore, Masrom and Rahimly [12] state, that hospitals are facing several changes related to storing, sharing, and distributing health data, due to the fact that hospitals still rely on manual methods, including pen, paper, and the human memory. These manual approaches are not suitable in the age of digitization and form another aspect, that needs to be taken care of, in order to ensure a high degree of data integrity and data security.
Further, the defiance of standards by medical organizations is a huge burden when applying standardized data security approaches. Standards are created to allow disperse systems, tools, technologies, and platforms to work together. However, hospitals do not comply to many standards regarding information technology [4] .
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Discusses the current state of digital transformation in the German healthcare sector and highlights the lag compared to other EU nations.
2. Opportunities and Challenges of Healthcare Digitization: Explores the benefits of eHealth and Big Data, while outlining significant security, technical, and organizational hurdles.
2.1 Leveraging Healthcare Digitization Opportunities: Focuses on the potential of mobile health, electronic health records, and process automation to improve operational efficiency.
2.2 Analyzing Healthcare Digitization Challenges: Details the threats posed by data sensitivity, the need for new business models, and the lack of standardization in IT infrastructure.
2.3 Healthcare Data Security – Laws and Regulations: Examines the impact of the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the German eHealth law on hospital IT systems.
2.4 Data Security Issues in Hospitals: Identifies the root causes of security failures, such as system fragmentation, reliance on manual processes, and defiance of IT standards.
2.5 How to Provide High Quality Data Security: Compares a data-centric approach using XML security technologies and a storage-centric approach involving enterprise data warehouses.
3. Conclusion: Summarizes that while digital transformation is inevitable, success depends on prioritizing data security to mitigate evolving cyber threats.
Keywords
Digital transformation, Healthcare, Hospitals, Germany, Data security, XML, Healthcare information system (HIS), GDPR, eHealth, Big Data, IT Infrastructure, Data privacy, Cyber threats, Patient records, Interoperability
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper explores the digital transformation of the German healthcare industry, focusing on the tension between implementing new technologies and maintaining high standards of data security in hospitals.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The core themes include digitization opportunities, the regulatory landscape (GDPR and eHealth), root causes of data security issues, and technical solutions for data protection.
What is the central research question?
The research addresses why the German healthcare sector lags in digital transformation and how hospitals can implement high-quality data security in line with modern legal requirements.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper is a survey-based review that synthesizes information from academic journals, industry reports, legal documents, and conference proceedings to evaluate two distinct security approaches.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body examines current digitization hurdles, analyzes relevant EU and German laws, identifies systemic security failures in hospitals, and assesses data-centric and storage-centric security models.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Digital transformation, Healthcare, Hospitals, Germany, Data security, XML, HIS, GDPR, and eHealth.
What is the significance of the data-centric approach mentioned?
The data-centric approach utilizes XML-based security technologies to manage access rights and protect sensitive information at the granular level during data exchange.
How does the storage-centric approach differ?
The storage-centric approach focuses on securing the underlying data warehouse infrastructure using systematic technologies and best practices, such as technical de-identification and restricted access.
What role does the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) play in this context?
The GDPR imposes strict compliance requirements on hospital IT systems, threatening significant fines for non-compliance and necessitating standardized documentation and state-of-the-art security technology.
Why are manual methods considered a major issue in modern hospitals?
Manual methods, such as using paper records and human memory, are incompatible with the speed and integration requirements of the digital age, thereby increasing the risk of data loss and security breaches.
- Citar trabajo
- Jonas Vieracker (Autor), 2018, A Survey on Healthcare Digitization Accelerating Transformation While Mitigating Data Protection Threats in German Hospitals, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/488890
