In the healthcare industry, smartphones and other mobile devices are generally seen as security threats, from sending and receiving unsecured patient data to having data collected on a device that can easily be misplaced or stolen.
However, a recent blog post from Intellicentrics suggests smartphones may help improve hospital security by taking the place of swipe cards or electronic ID badges for employees and physicians.
Because every hospital is responsible for ensuring patients' safety, data security and safeguarding pharmaceuticals, it is important for hospitals to keep track of who is coming in and out of the building.
"This can be a monumental and costly undertaking," according to the blog post, "but in the future, it might become as easy as sending the right encrypted message to the right smartphone, granting access to rooms, file cabinets and medication dispensing units ONLY to the appropriate people at the appropriate times."
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