As healthcare cybersecurity risks continue to rise, health systems are struggling to arm themselves due to a job shortage in healthcare workers, VentureBeat reported Aug. 23.
According to the report, more than 1.5 million healthcare jobs were lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though many of these jobs have been refilled, healthcare employment remains below pre-pandemic levels — with 1.1 percent fewer healthcare workers compared to February 2020 staffing levels.
This loss in healthcare staff has increased current staff's fatigue and burnout, in turn causing frustration and lack of vigilance on the part of employees — ultimately making facilities more susceptible to attack, said Nate Lesser, CISO at Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Hospital.
In addition, frustrated, angry and disgruntled staff can in turn become insider threats to healthcare systems.
"Our staff are our first line of defense and best 'sensors' to know what's happening in the environment," said Mr. Lesser. "If they are overextended, we lose this valuable reporting."