IRMA-International.org: Creator of Knowledge
Information Resources Management Association
Advancing the Concepts & Practices of Information Resources Management in Modern Organizations

‘The Way to Be Safe Is Never to Be Secure': Security of ePHI in South African Hospitals

‘The Way to Be Safe Is Never to Be Secure': Security of ePHI in South African Hospitals
View Sample PDF
Author(s): Kabelo Given Chuma (University of South Africa, South Africa)and Mpho Ngoepe (University of South Africa, South Africa)
Copyright: 2025
Volume: 19
Issue: 1
Pages: 21
Source title: International Journal of Information Security and Privacy (IJISP)
Editor(s)-in-Chief: Yassine Maleh (Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Morocco)and Ahmed A. Abd El-Latif (Menoufia University, Egypt)
DOI: 10.4018/IJISP.367275

Purchase

View ‘The Way to Be Safe Is Never to Be Secure': Security of ePHI in South African Hospitals on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

Data security is used to protect sensitive and confidential patient health information. The healthcare sector is affected by the myriad of cybersecurity threats and attacks. Safeguarding Electronic Personal Health Information (ePHI) against cybersecurity threats and attacks is important. This study sought to explore the security of ePHI in South African hospitals with a view to proposing a framework. A qualitative study was carried out in public hospitals using semi-structured interviews with purposively selected participants of IT managers, technicians, and network controllers. The findings revealed that South African hospitals suffer from a range of cybersecurity threats, including Trojan viruses, cryptographic attacks, distributed denial of service attacks, phishing emails, password attacks, and malware attacks. The lack of security policies and poor compliance with data protection laws have been recognised as major challenges facing hospitals. The study proposes a security framework that could assist hospitals in securing ePHI by providing a set of guidelines and safeguards.

Related Content

Severin Bonnet, Frank Teuteberg. © 2025. 40 pages.
Lihui Mao, Zhengquan Xu. © 2025. 27 pages.
Kabelo Given Chuma, Mpho Ngoepe. © 2025. 21 pages.
Rongrong Wang. © 2025. 19 pages.
. © 2025.
Zihan Zhou. © 2025. 25 pages.
Xiaohui Yang, Ya'nan Tao. © 2025. 25 pages.
Body Bottom