TEST Tech choices in healthcare with security protocolsTEST Tech choices in healthcare with security protocols

Hospitals can not only reduce their carbon footprint but also enhance patient safety and operational efficiency in the fight against cybercrime.

Lorna Hopkin

December 6, 2024

4 Min Read

A blend of sustainability and security not only complements healthcare businesses, but also elevates an organisation's security, environmental and financial position..CanvaPro

Some say it’s difficult to find technology that meets both sustainability and security criteria in data-sensitive operations. Yet such technology has been right under our noses for over two decades.

We know healthcare systems and other bodies serving the public are increasingly under siege from cyberattacks. Spyware is completely evading traditional detection methods, through coding designed to leave no trace of its upload. Seemingly harmless actions, such as watching a video or visiting a website, can be all it takes for devices (and connected systems) to become infected.

While a spy or hacker listening through an ordinary person’s smartphone might glean trivial information, malware in a hospital environment poses significantly higher risks and impacts. Leaked data could be used to blackmail patients, hospitals could face fines, and compromised devices might be removed from circulation. The financial implications are enormous, leading to reduced efficiency and poorer outcomes.

Knowing all this, such attacks can appear unstoppable. But grim as it may sound, there is hope. An unlikely ally in the fight against cyberattacks is sustainability monitoring specific to tech decisions.

The goal of ‘zero overall carbon emissions’ has become a benchmark of best practice, with the UK aiming to be the world’s first net zero national health service. With 18 per cent of National Health Service (NHS) emissions stemming from devices, trusts are devising plans to reduce this number. Achieving a carbon neutral organisation involves a myriad of changes. Many small changes across numerous facilities and systems can also be transformative, especially when healthcare technology leaders consider how much a single technology choice can move the needle one way or the other.

Consider the multitude of handheld mobile computers, wearables, tablets, label printers, barcode scanners, and radio frequency identification (RFID) readers currently dispersed across healthcare sites. These devices, like all appliances, impact carbon emissions. Understanding the small changes made in their design and utilisation can help healthcare providers achieve their sustainability objectives.

Positioning sustainability and security

On paper, the perceived mismatch between the software lifecycle and hardware lifecycle of many mobile devices has led to some business leaders feeling they have to choose either security or sustainability. But the reality is that there are mobile devices in the market right now built for longevity, circularity, and security. First responders, utility technicians, factory workers, store associates, delivery drivers, and nurses all around the world are using them.

There are several clinical mobile devices and other rugged handhelds, wearables, printers, and tablets that can be secured for longer than the typical two-year churn of devices we use as consumers. Their standard lifespan is five to seven years, if not longer. From an environmental impact perspective, this reduces the manufacturing footprint and the volume of non-recyclable components ending up in landfill.

The benefits extend further, though. Devices that enable IT teams to automate monthly security patching offer features like kiosk-mode lockdown home screens, and remote performance enhancements all contribute to keeping devices operational for as long as possible, thus reducing demand on production lines, recycling operations, and waste disposal sites.

Security breaches are often so subtle that users are unaware they are compromised. However, changes in battery or memory usage patterns can indicate unexpected activity. These changes, known as symptomatic changes, are crucial for identifying and securing against attacks. This performance sensing capability is where security and sustainability overlap.

Tools that pull device and app-level data through data services agents installed on each device provide visibility into unusual activity and the power to act upon any unexpected behaviour. This simple dashboard interface allows monitoring of performance to devise mechanisms to keep malware out and drive efficiencies to achieve net zero goals. Meanwhile patient safety remains uncompromised and hospital security intact. For example, there is device monitoring software featuring machine learning that can mine over 250 data points related to device, application, and battery health to report on the current status of devices and predict forthcoming issues based on device usage, health, and history.

The alignment of sustainability and security makes perfect business, environmental, and security sense. It also makes financial sense. The device physically lasts for years. Automatic security updates and patches keep software locked down and data secured for years. Healthcare leaders aren’t having to pay penalties for a breach. They aren’t having to pay extra in marketing spend to repair a tarnished reputation because a hacker breached a non-secure device or because someone finds out an organisation is constantly replacing devices – which is wasteful on many levels.