Although ransomware attacks on hospitals seem ubiquitous, most patients are unaware of attacks on hospitals despite the influence it has on them when choosing a hospital at which to receive care, a study says.
Researchers launched a study on behalf of Armis to gauge perceptions on cyberattacks on hospitals, according to a Nov. 10 news release. There were 2,030 U.S. patients and 400 U.S. health IT professionals who participated in the survey, conducted in October.
Six survey insights:
- Fifty-eight percent of health IT professionals said ransomware hackers have hit their organization and 85 percent said cyber risks have increased in the last 12 months.
- Sixty-three percent of IT professionals said their organization submitted a cybersecurity insurance claim because of an attack.
- Losing data and sensitive patient information is a top concern for 52 percent of IT professionals, followed by 23 percent who said attacks on hospital operations and 13 percent who said ransomware attacks.
- Sixty-one percent of patients said they had not heard of any cyberattacks in the healthcare industry in the last 24 months.
- Almost half (49 percent) of patients said they would change hospitals if theirs were hit by a ransomware attack. Thirty-three percent of patients said they have been the victim of a healthcare cyberattack.
- Thirty percent of patients trust their best friends with their sensitive healthcare information, compared with 23 percent who trust healthcare organizations with it.