Adoption Of Security Measures Research Articles

The impacts of multiple privacy regulations and national security infrastructure on health information exchange: a study of hospitals across Europe

PurposeSharing patient health information (PHI) among hospitals has been much slower than the adoption of health record systems. This paper aims to investigate if privacy regulation (PR) or security measures (SMs) influence hospitals’ use of health information exchange (HIE) to share PHI with other providers (e.g. physicians, labs, hospitals). The study specifically focuses on how multiple PRs can impede and a strong national security infrastructure (NSI) can support HIE.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses secondary data from a multi-national and multi-hospital survey administered by the European Union. The multi-level structure of the cross-sectional panel data is used to test the influence of both hospital-level (e.g. PR) and national-level variables (e.g. NSI) on HIE. A total of nine types of HIE, three types of PRs, nine SMs and other relevant control variables are considered. This study uses a two-level random intercept generalized linear model to test the hypothesis proposed in the study.FindingsThe study finds that national-level PRs (NLPR) have the strongest positive influence on HIE in comparison to regional (RLPR) and hospital-level (HLPR) PRs. Moreover, the study finds evidence that the presence of RLPR and HLPR, on average, decreases the positive impact of NLPR by 264%. The SMs also have a significant and positive impact on HIE. Adoption of an additional SM can increase the odds of engaging in a certain type of HIE between 21% and 61%. On the other hand, a strong NSI can also amplify the positive impact of SM on certain types of HIE.Originality/valueThis study extends prior research on the role of PRs in enabling HIE by considering the complexities brought up by adopting multiple PRs. NLPRs have the strongest impact on HIE in comparison to RLPRs or HLPRs. Moreover, public infrastructure initiatives such as those related to secure communications can also complement SMs adopted by the providers by encouraging HIE.

Predictive value of skin testing with excipients for COVID-19 vaccines

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Despite the availability of therapies and the adoption of security measures, the most effective method to fight COVID-19 remains the induction of immunity through vaccines. Scientific communities have developed several types of COVID-19 vaccines since the beginning of the pandemic, including those with innovative messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Patients with a history of allergic reactions may have an increased risk of hypersensitivity reactions to COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, it is important that these patients are evaluated by an allergist to help monitor immediate-type adverse reactions and identify what vaccine component may elicit an allergic reaction. Various strategies have been suggested to prevent hypersensitivity reactions, including performing skin tests or in vitro tests before vaccination in high-risk patients, administering a different vaccine for the second dose in subjects reporting adverse reactions to the first dose, fractional dosing, or pretreating with anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody. The scope of this review is to evaluate, through current evidence available in the literature, the accuracy of skin testing to the excipients of COVID-19 vaccines, especially polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polysorbate, in predicting allergic reactions to vaccination, despite the existing discordance of data and approaches to the question from the various clinical experiences, as to permit the safe administration of COVID-19 vaccines to populations around the globe.

TERRORISM VIOLENCE: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS THROUGH MASS MEDIA ON THE ADOPTION OF SECURITY MEASURES IN BURKINA FASO

This paper investigates the impact of mass media education programs (MEP) on the adoption of security measures in the context of terrorism in Burkina Faso. We collected information using questionnaires and key informant interviews in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The results suggest that individuals who were educated on terrorism through MEP display higher intentions to adopt security measures and tend to have positive attitudes toward the role of media in fighting terrorism violence.

Terrorism violence: assessing the impact of education programs through mass media on the adoption of security measures in Burkina Faso

This paper investigates the impact of mass media education programs (MEP) on the adoption of security measures in the context of terrorism in Burkina Faso. Using a questionnaire and guided interviews, we collected information from a sample of 412 individuals living in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The results suggest that caution was the most important security measure learned by the participants through MEP (39,6%), followed by collaboration with the army (30%) and reporting suspected behaviors to the authorities (20.8%). More importantly, individuals who were educated on terrorism through MEP display higher intentions to adopt security measures and tend to have positive attitudes toward the role of media in fighting terrorism violence. This finding clearly shows that for developing countries and all countries facing terrorism and lacking adequate counter-response tools, such as Burkina Faso, MEP should be an integral part of the system of public awareness to succeed in effectively countering this global threat.

Do data security measures, privacy regulations, and communication standards impact the interoperability of patient health information? A cross-country investigation

BackgroundThe lack of interoperability is one of the biggest obstacles to the complete digitalization of patient health information in electronic medical records (EMR). The high volume of data breaches has put pressure on care providers to adopt data protection measures to remain compliant with legal requirements. Extreme data protection measures can impede information flow, but they also instill confidence in secure information sharing. This study investigates how the adoption of security measures, privacy regulations, and communication standards has impacted patient health information interoperability at technical (TI), semantic (SI), and organizational (OI) levels within the hospitals. MethodsThe study utilizes a quasi-experimental research design to probe the relationships of interest. Secondary data from a survey of randomly selected 773 hospitals conducted by the European Commission in over 30 countries in Europe is used to understand the relationships. The study counters selection bias and accounts for systematic differences in adopting treatments of interest in the hospitals using the propensity score-based approaches for the observational data. ResultsThe empirical models that account for selection bias explain more observational data variations than those that did not. Access control measures on workstations are linked to 44 % lesser odds of experiencing TI problems. However, hospitals with regional and organizational level privacy regulations have 85 % and 76 % higher odds of experiencing SI and OI problems, respectively. On the other hand, hospitals with a single hospital-wide EMR are 53 % and 43 % less likely to experience TI and SI problems, respectively, in comparison to those with multiple EMR systems. ConclusionThe study highlights the differential impacts of data protection measures on the hospitals' three key types of interoperability problems (i.e., TI, SI, and OI). Homogenous EMR systems type and substantial investment in technology are critical to supporting health information interoperability within the hospitals. The study findings inform policy considerations for improving specific aspects of health information's interoperability while preserving patient data privacy and security.

Невоенные угрозы безопасности в Арктике

Невоенные угрозы безопасности в Арктике

The prognosis of terrorist attacks - limits of scientific findings

During the past decade, Islamic terrorism is considered as a major political threat which had far-reaching consequences. Criminal law was enacted on both national and supranational levels in Europe. This fundamental change, however, was not prefigured by the terrorist attack in New York on September 11, 2001. It is rather an expression of an ongoing development. In the 1970’s, ethnic or national political terrorism (e.g., IRA, RAF) was on the table and prompted the adoption of security measures. The penal policy agenda was diverted to drug crimes in the 1980’s. In the 1990’s, as a consequence of the opening of the borders in Europe, organized transnational crime took the stage and was considered a critical threat. The adoption of covert investigative measures can especially be traced back to clandestine and partially transnational network structures. In contrast to organized crime, terrorist attacks pose a threat with potential lethal consequences for uninvolved civilians. While the terrorist attack requires publicity to spread anxiety and fear, its preparation necessitates clandestine operation. Hence, at the forefront of combating terrorism are cooperative efforts of the police and intelligence agencies on national and international levels as a vehicle for research on preventative measures against the dangers posed by terrorism. This “transcending of the boundaries” of security in the area of terrorism naturally poses fundamental problems in the realignment of national security architecture [1, 2]. The first question raised is the definition of terrorism. Moreover, early recognition and prevention of danger depend on prognoses that are supposed to illuminate an uncertain future by means of retrospective points of reference. The reliability of the predictions here needs to be approached with caution. In this context, so-called preincident indicators could help improve the reliability of the prognoses. The actions Crime Law Soc Change DOI 10.1007/s10611-013-9466-6

The more secure the better? A study of information security readiness

PurposeThis paper seeks to investigate which factors influence user attitudes toward different levels of security measures for protecting data of differing importance. The paper also examines user characteristics including IT proficiency and risk propensity, which give rise to individual differences in such attitudes.Design/methodology/approachTo capture user attitudes toward a security measure, a construct called “information security readiness” (ISR) and its corresponding measurement items were developed. Observations were collected from a laboratory experiment based on a 2×3 factorial design, with data criticality and security level as the treatment variables. The participants were undergraduate students of a major American university. The moderating effect of data criticality on the relationship between security level and ISR was tested with multi‐group structural equation modeling. In addition to the treatment variables, IT proficiency and risk propensity were included as covariates in the analysis.FindingsThe results revealed a nonlinear relationship between security level and ISR. For data of high criticality, enhancing security level had a positive impact on ISR, but only up to the point perceived as appropriate by the participants. For data of low criticality, the enhancement of security level was perceived as unnecessary. In addition, IT proficiency was found to be a significant covariate, especially when data criticality was high.Practical implicationsIn practice, the specification of a security measure requires a trade‐off between the utility of the data protected and the usability of the security method. The measure of ISR provides a means to locate the equilibrium by examining user attitudes across different security levels in relation to a particular level of data criticality. The significance of IT proficiency demonstrates the importance of user training.Originality/valueThis study introduces the ISR construct to capture evaluation, power, and activity dimensions underlying an individual's cognitive beliefs, affective responses, and behavioral inclinations toward the adoption of security measures. The results provide interesting insights into the role of interaction between security level and data criticality in influencing ISR.

Rhetoric, rationality and reality in post-9/11 maritime security

The post-9/11 maritime security scenario was characterized by intense rhetoric in the first few years, during which security measures such as the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code were adopted. This rhetoric resulted in a hasty implementation that precluded a detailed examination of security measures. Findings show that while rhetoric was useful for facilitating quicker adoption of security measures, it nonetheless prevented a fuller examination of security threats and responses, resulting in security gaps. This paper examines the effectiveness of the security responses and identifies some gaps in security coverage and other inefficiencies. Recommendations are also made to overcome these limitations.