Privacy and security in electronic health systems: a cross-sectional survey of user awareness, trust, and public health implications

The study explores security protocols, vulnerabilities and mitigation measures of electronic health platforms. The data was obtained from survey responses of 226 participants comprising 115 patients and 111 healthcare professionals in Queensland, Australia. The study used a cross-sectional quantitative design to evaluate user awareness, user trust, user understanding of the regulations, user authentication methods, and user incident response capabilities. The findings reveal notable deficiencies in user education, employee training, adherence to regulations, and response to incidents. Multi-factor authentication was seen as very effective, but password-only authentication is still popular. Knowledge of regulatory requirements was limited while incident response was found to be lacking. The results underscore the critical need for improved communication strategies and the need for comprehensive training programs. In addition, there should be robust authentication mechanisms to safeguard health information and foster trust in digital health systems.