- IoT, BYOD Prompt Healthcare Cloud Security Market Growth
The survey found that 56 percent of employees across industries looking for jobs said they are prevented from maximizing their potential at work, and 61 percent of frustrated employees cited scheduling and communication pain points as reasons for leaving their jobs.
More than half of millennials would prefer to use their personal mobile devices to access information such as schedules and training materials.
“Today, every U.S. workplace relies on smartphones … If used in conjunction with a BYOD policy, employers can foster a more productive, engaged, and loyal workforce,” said WorkJam President and CEO Steven Kramer.
“It’s never been more imperative that employers put the power of communication and scheduling into employees’ hands,” Kramer added.
While healthcare workers might be interested in BYOD, that doesn’t mean that CIOs and IT managers are rushing to embrace BYOD, particularly considering HIPAA rules regarding protecting the security and privacy of patient data.
Spok Survey Finds BYOD Infrastructure Gaps
According to an earlier survey of 350 healthcare leaders by Spok, 52 percent of respondents said that data security was a top BYOD challenge, while 54 percent cited Wi-Fi coverage and 44 percent cited cellular coverage as a challenge in implementing BYOD in their organization.
“There is a large gap in infrastructure to support the strategy and devices, including wireless network coverage and EMM [enterprise mobility management] solutions. This gap will be critical for hospitals to address in an effort to mitigate security risks and enhance communications,” the Spok researchers observed.
Despite these challenges, 71 percent of hospitals surveyed by Spok said they allow some form of BYOD.
“Participation in BYOD policies continues to vary by role, correlating to staff needs and preferences,” Spok researchers explained.
For example, physicians are the most common users of BYOD, with 62 percent stating that they use their own device. Fifty-four percent of IT staff said they use BYOD, while 53 percent of nurse practitioners, 49 percent of administrators, 43 percent of nurses, 31 percent of housekeeping staff, and 22 percent of transport staff said they use BYOD.
In terms of hospital-issued devices, 59 percent of nurses said they prefer those devices, while only 38 percent of physicians like the hospital’s devices.
Easier communication among team members was the top driver behind BYOD policy implementation. Cost savings, workflow improvement, and physician demand were the next top drivers.
“For the first time, easier communication among care team members is cited as the top driver for supporting a BYOD environment,” researchers said.
Physicians use an average of 4.1 mobile apps for work, while nurses use an average of 3.2 work-related mobile apps.
Eighty-one percent of respondents reported that their BYOD policies cover device security, 76 percent said they cover which device types are supported, 59 percent said they cover enforcement for policy noncompliance, the same percentage said that their policies cover which device brands/versions are supported, and 53 percent said the policies cover who pays for cellular service and data plans.
“It is in everyone’s interest to secure protected health information (PHI) and reduce the risks of ransomware attacks and breaches that can lead to significant penalties for an organization, both financial and reputational,” the Spok researchers noted.
Hospital staff said they use personal devices for work even when BYOD is not allowed. Close to two-thirds of physicians reported doing so, while 41 percent of nurses said they use personal devices even when BYOD is not allowed.
“Overall, having a mobility strategy is becoming more important to help project managers, tasked with handling the organization’s mobile programs, get their arms around this diversity and begin to manage the mix with integrations, access, and security as their drivers,” the Spok researchers concluded.