Decision Support Systems: What are the primary security and privacy challenges of cloud computing in healthcare?

Abstract

The paper looks at the fundamental security and privacy concerns that affect cloud computing in the healthcare. This is the subject of the discussion, and it forms the hypothesis that will be proved considering the findings in the available factions of the literature review identified. Given the systematic nature of the research, the researcher uses several strategies to find accurate articles on the topic. They include visiting key sources like PubMed and reviewing some of the websites owned by reputable health care organizations. The discussion section includes findings and perspectives seen in the individual case studies and articles. Finally, the paper is concluded with recommendations regarding the best healthcare informatics approaches to practice in cloud computing, so that patient data security challenges and privacy concerns are addressed adequately.

Decision Support Systems: What are the primary security and privacy challenges of cloud computing in healthcare?

Introduction

At the wake of globalization and developments in information technology, many departments and factions have diversified their decision support systems to be in phase with the predominant technological changes that inculcate progress. The healthcare industry has not been left behind, either. In this context, many healthcare institutions have developed the preference of using cloud computing to deal with some of the significant concerns that deal with patient care, recording of customer data, and scheduling patients for treatment. Notwithstanding the stance that this is one decent strategy that has revolutionized the healthcare industry, it is still indicative of highlighting that the internet of things, as demonstrated by cloud computing, is marred by crucial security and privacy challenges. In the interest of finding the best article and websites for this endeavour, the researcher used different search engines PubMed and Google Scholar. The keywords that were considered in the compilation are healthcare, cloud computing, security challenges, and privacy. It is upon this basis that the researcher was able to come up with a conclusive outcome on the subject under deliberation.

Literature Review

In Security & privacy challenges in IoT-based health cloud. In 2016 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI), Alasmari & Anwar make several observations on the hurdles that affect cloud computing from time to time in the healthcare industry. The research question for this study is pegged on why Electronic Patient Health Information (EPHI) is viewed as confidential for the needs of patients and healthcare providers. The writers use the case study methodology approach, where they access how different healthcare organizations use technology, especially cloud computing, to ease and do their official duties to be much desirable. In the findings faction, the authors note that the one way to minimize the security and privacy concerns in healthcare is through keeping cloud services private as opposed to leaving them as open-source, leading significant risk in healthcare. In the case of Mehraeen, E., Ghazisaeedi, M., Farzi, J., & Mirshekari, S. (2017). Security Challenges in Healthcare Cloud Computing: A Systematic. Global Journal of Health Science, 9(3), the study is guided by the hypothesis that cloud computing is significant and relevant in healthcare. The methodology used in this study is randomized, as the writers collect the information from different centres and factions to come up with a conclusive view on the subject. At the close of the research, the authors confirm that healthcare data is often sensitive and should not be made available to the unauthorized. The one critical recommendation issued by in the paper is that wireless networks ought to be understood and considered about their feasibility and effectiveness.

In the case of Mollah, M. B., Azad, M. A. K., & Vasilakos, A. (2017). Security and privacy challenges in mobile cloud computing: Survey and way ahead. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 84, 38-54, the methodology embraced by the author is through collecting data from the field and developing new views based on it. In light of the fact that the research question is pegged on improving data security in the cloud systems used in most healthcare platforms, it is indicative to note that the article has a direct implication on the topic of study. The findings of the paper alluded to the fact that limiting the number of people to gain access to organizational clouds is the one sure way to minimizing the manifest data breach and violation.

In Nath, S., & Som, S. (2017). Security and privacy challenges: the internet of things. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, the research question that the authors embrace is “how the privacy and data security challenges in healthcare can be improved. The methodology used is sampling. The research further confirms that the proper scrutiny of the available information to the public or healthcare officials is one sure way to improve the healthcare faction. Similar sentiments are seen by Bitra & Balachandran in Internet of Things Security and Privacy Issues in Healthcare Industry. In International Conference on Intelligent Data Communication Technologies and Internet of Things (pp. 967-973). In the latter case, the authors’ research question was structured on the strategies to use to improve the internet of things.

In “The impact of the hybrid platform of the internet of things and cloud computing on healthcare systems: opportunities, challenges, and open problems”, the research question targeted by the authors is that the developments of hybrid systems are the one sure way to improve cloud computing in healthcare. A review of this article confirms that the authors used the quantitative methodology to find solutions to the apparent concern. The paper concludes that the most feasible way to improve these concerns is through limiting access to private information. In the article, Cloud computing-enabled healthcare opportunities, issues, and applications: A systematic review. International Journal of Information Management, 43, 146-158, the authors argue that fog computing could be used to cure some of the challenges facing cloud computing. Similar sentiments are witnessed in the case of Fog computing for the internet of things: Security and privacy issues. IEEE Internet Computing, 21(2), 34-42 and Security and privacy challenges in the cloud: survey and research direction.

Discussion

As seen from the above systematic review of the literature addressing the challenges of cloud computing in privacy and security of the information pertaining to patients, the following pros, cons, challenges, successes, needs, and opportunities in health informatics are manifest.

For instance, the use of open networks in the case of the public clouds or those that belong to the integrated genre has subjected private files and data pertaining to the patient to hackers and data miners who infringe on the rights of the respective persons whose records are accessed illegally. Also, information loss through random deletion is the other challenge that faces cloud computing at present. The review confirms that there is a need to keep the information provided by patients confidential and private. In terms of opportunities, the discussion proves that localizing cloud computing to particular departments or healthcare officials would be necessary for organizational development.

References

Alasmari, S., & Anwar, M. (2016, December). Security & privacy challenges in IoT-based health cloud. In 2016 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI) (pp. 198-201). IEEE.

Ali, O., Shrestha, A., Soar, J., & Wamba, S. F. (2018). Cloud computing-enabled healthcare opportunities, issues, and applications: A systematic review. International Journal of Information Management, 43, 146-158.

Alrawais, A., Alhothaily, A., Hu, C., & Cheng, X. (2017). Fog computing for the internet of things: Security and privacy issues. IEEE Internet Computing, 21(2), 34-42.

Bitra, V. S., Jayapandian, N., & Balachandran, K. (2018, August). Internet of Things Security and Privacy Issues in Healthcare Industry. In International Conference on Intelligent Data Communication Technologies and Internet of Things (pp. 967-973). Springer, Cham.

Darwish, A., Hassanien, A. E., Elhoseny, M., Sangaiah, A. K., & Muhammad, K. (2019). The impact of the hybrid platform of internet of things and cloud computing on healthcare systems: opportunities, challenges, and open problems. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 10(10), 4151-4166.

Mehraeen, E., Ghazisaeedi, M., Farzi, J., & Mirshekari, S. (2017). Security Challenges in Healthcare Cloud Computing: A Systematic. Global Journal of Health Science, 9(3).

Mollah, M. B., Azad, M. A. K., & Vasilakos, A. (2017). Security and privacy challenges in mobile cloud computing: Survey and way ahead. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 84, 38-54.

Nath, S., & Som, S. (2017). Security and privacy challenges: internet of things. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 10(3), 1-5.

Nour, B., Sharif, K., Li, F., & Wang, Y. (2019). Security and Privacy Challenges in Information Centric Wireless IoT Networks.

Swathi, V., & Vani, M. P. (2017). Security and privacy challenges in cloud: survey and research direction. International Journal of Computation Engineering Research (IJCER), 7(08), 63-72.