AUSTRALIA

Building Digital Trust with Australian Healthcare ConsumersAccenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

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Consumers in Australia trust healthcare organisations to protect their digital data—it is our responsibility not to breach that trust.Most Australian consumers (89%) believe the security of their digital healthcare data is important, yet according to an Accenture survey, 16% have experienced a breach of their healthcare data. While many Australians trust their general practitioners, pharmacists, specialists, nurses and pathology labs to keep their digital healthcare data secure—that trust is at times misplaced and once gone, is almost impossible to restore. In response, more than a quarter of consumers who experienced a breach switched to another healthcare provider.

To better understand consumer attitudes toward healthcare data, ethics, digital trust, roles and responsibilities, data sharing and breaches, Accenture conducted a survey across seven countries. This report focuses on results from consumers in Australia and on cybersecurity and digital trust for health records.

By examining digital trust and the impact of breaches, the Australian government and private healthcare organisations can become better prepared to proactively manage risks using the Prevention, Detection and Correction approach to health information security.

DIGITAL HEALTHCARE DATA

Personal health information that is stored electronically, such as in electronic health records maintained by a person’s doctor or healthcare provider, wearable health devices, mobile apps or health insurance records.

DIGITAL TRUST

The confidence placed in an organisation to collect, store and use the digital information of others in a manner that benefits and protects those to whom the information relates.

Source: Accenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

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Australia ranked lowest in terms of level of healthcare data security understanding, compared with the seven other countries surveyed. (Figure 1) In fact, only 8% said they know “a lot” about data security in healthcare. Only 42% of Australians understand digital healthcare data security. Although Australia is a predominantly tech-savvy country with high use of smartphones, digital payments, online shopping and other digital technologies, there is a general lack of digital healthcare data literacy. While these figures are disappointing, they provide a mandate for data custodians to provide a higher level of transparency and education to consumers on the security of their health records.

Australian healthcare consumers don’t entirely understand healthcare data security

FIGURE 1. Healthcare consumers in Australia have the lowest degree of understanding of digital security.

A lotA littleNot very muchNothing at all

Global Australia11%

34%

41%

14%

18%

40%

55% 42%

34%

8%

42%42++F100+F Understand digital healthcare data security

Source: Accenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

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Not surprisingly, given that 58% of Australians don’t know much about healthcare data security, one in six Australian consumers has experienced a breach of their healthcare data. Of the 16% who experienced a data breach, 7% had it happen once, 5% had it happen

The stolen data was used by thieves for a variety of purposes ranging from fraudulently

(21%) (Figure 2). The consumers’ identities were used fraudulently in 93% of the breach instances.

Australian consumers who voiced concerns about a breach most commonly worried that others would use their data fraudulently (69%). They also worried about the

and discrimination (31%). On average, the data misuse cost the victims $219 each.

FIGURE 2. Victims of medical identity theft report stolen IDs were used for fraudulent activities.

46% 40% 5%26% 21%

Purchase items

Fraudulently bill for care

Fraudulently receive medical care prescriptions

Access or modify health records

Source: Accenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

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Among those Australian consumers who experienced a breach, most often, the breach occurred in a hospital (43%)—the second most trusted entity to keep data secure. (Figure 3)

FIGURE 3. Digital healthcare data breaches are occurring across a variety of locations.

Breaches may not happen where Australian consumers expect them

LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF BREACHES 10++F100+FHIGHEST PERCENTAGE

OF BREACHES

10%43%43++F100+F Hospital

43%

Government

10%

Employer

A tech/app company

Laboratory

13%

11%

14%

Retail clinic

Urgent care clinic

24%

Physician's o�ice 18%

Pharmacy

Hospital

28%

10%

Laboratory, Tech/app company

Source: Accenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

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FIGURE 4. Healthcare consumers have varying degrees of trust in healthcare organisations.

Not at all Not vey much Somewhat A great deal

My physician(s) or other healthcare providers

My pharmacy

Hospitals I visit

Urgent care or walk-in retail clinics I visit

IT support for my physician’s o�ice or other medical site

Non-medical sta� at my physician’s or healthcare provider’s o�ice

Tech companies (i.e., for wearables/ health apps I use)

Government

Labs that process my medical tests

16% 42% 37% 37%

8% 31% 50% 12%

12% 25% 47% 16%

7% 29% 52% 12%

5% 29% 52% 14%

5% 19% 52% 24%

4% 18% 37% 23%

5% 16% 52% 28%

3% 14% 52% 32%

5%

79%

77%

76%

66%

64%

63%

62%

47%

83%

In addition, 28% said the breach happened at a pharmacy and 14% indicated that the breach had occurred through government, which ranked second to last among the entities consumers trust to keep digital health data secure. (Figure 4)

Source: Accenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

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In response to the breach of their healthcare data, a third of Australian consumers changed their healthcare provider. While changing medical provider is the action most often taken, others (26%) changed passwords or other credentials, added security software to their personal computer (24%) and sought legal help (23%). (Figure 5) These figures provide a stark caution that we need to be more accountable to our service users or they may take legal action or potentially desert us for a competitor.

Consumers take action after breaches, sometimes toward healthcare providers

FIGURE 5. Consumers react to a breach in ways that go beyond changing passwords.

78% of consumers took steps in response to a breach

31% 26% 24% 23% 22% 21%

Got legalhelp

Changed passwords or

other credentials

Subscribed to identity protection

service

21%

Involved the police

Added security software to my

computer

CHANGED HEALTHCARE

PROVIDERS

None of

these

7%

Reported it to the organisation holding my data

6%

Other

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Building digital trust Five million Australians have an electronic health record - and that number will only increase. As more records go online, more Australians will also be at risk of a data breach. International experience has taught us that some breaches are virtually inevitable. However, government entities and private healthcare providers can do more to ensure that information is protected securely.

Moreover, healthcare organisations in Australia should establish digital trust early on to build a foundation that helps consumers to weather the storm of a breach. Trust is built when people know how their information is secure and protected. It is time for healthcare providers, private health insurers and other organisations that handle health data, to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities, improve their defences, build resilience and better manage corrective actions following detection of breaches in keeping with the guidance from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

The global rise of consumerism has created the culture of 24/7 online, mobile access to personal information. Australia’s success at protecting the privacy and security of digital health information will be determined by how well prepared we are to respond to the threats, and how firmly committed we are to establish digital trust with Australian consumers.

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Key actions to focus on:

IMPROVE RESPONSE CAPABILITIES In conjunction with improving detection, handle breaches quickly and

efficiently, in a way that limits damage.

VALIDATE DOWNTIME PROCEDURES Strive to reduce recovery time to minimize impact on patient care and

business operations.

SHARE THREAT INFORMATION Act on learnings and share them with others. Communicate to consumers the

actions you have taken.

RE-BOOT YOUR APPROACH Embrace an end-to-end cyberdefence that recognises a spectrum of

threats, minimises exposure identifies and protects high-priority assets. Consider cybersecurity solutions from proven industry insiders, highly skilled specialists may be hard to find.

MANAGE YOUR RISKS Make targeted cybersecurity investments that will deliver measurable

returns and help you build digital trust with healthcare consumers, who are increasingly security-aware.

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Accenture Cybersecurity ChecklistExplore these key actions to fortify your health enterprise:

INNOVATION & STRATEGY• Prioritise a

security strategy• Create a security policy• Carry out a risk review

CISO STRATEGIC ROLE• Strengthen the Chief

Information Security Officer role

RESPOND TO THREAT LANDSCAPE CHANGES• Implement monitoring

and alerting• Carry out regular security

awareness training

CONTROLS AND GOVERNANCE• Manage

system access• Manage

applications• Patch systems• Establish a mobile

device policy• Segment and monitor

the network• Back up data regularly• Implement an incident

response plan

SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES• Encrypt sensitive data

• Implement adaptive perimeter controls

• Consider cloud providers

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Ian Manovel ian.manovel@accenture.com

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Accenture 2017 Consumer Survey on Healthcare Cybersecurity and Digital Trust

Accenture commissioned a seven-country survey of 7,580 consumers ages 18+ to assess their attitudes toward healthcare data, digital trust, roles and responsibilities, data sharing and breaches. The online survey included consumers across seven countries: Australia (1,000), Brazil (1,000), England (1,000), Norway (800), Saudi Arabia (850), Singapore (930) and the United States (2,000). The survey was conducted by Nielsen on behalf of Accenture between November 2016 and January 2017. The analysis provided comparisons by country, sector, age and use.

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