Community of Practice
Cybersecurity
The Cybersecurity Community of Practice informs and engages stakeholders about cybersecurity in healthcare and influences the application of sound practices.
David Bunker FAIDH CHIA, Queensland Genomics Health Alliance
What is cybersecurity?
The expanded use of networked technology, internet-enabled devices, applications and electronic datasets, used for a range of clinical, financial and administrative functions, have significantly minimised the number of manual steps and time-consuming processes in healthcare workflows. Yet, such connectivity and automated processes have increased the vulnerability of healthcare providers to cybersecurity breaches.
While cybersecurity may be perceived as primarily a technical matter, it is much broader than this and encompasses both technology and human processes. As we continue to move toward integrated, digitally-enabled organisations, the disruption caused by cybersecurity incidents can have far-reaching effects and may include lack of access to critical clinical information and services, risks to patient safety, costly replacement of equipment and data, loss of community confidence in our healthcare system and reputational damage to the providers and organisations that suffer a breach.
Leadership



Matthew McDougall CHIA
Secretary, NT
ICT Infrastructure Technical Lead, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

Kristy Jackman CHIA
Member Engagement Coordinator, QLD
Director Administration Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital


Richard Oakham CHIA
Digital Content Coordinator, QLD
Principal Software Developer, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service

Dr Andrew Westcombe CHIA
Written Content Coordinator, NSW
Security Awareness Lead, Australian Digital Health Agency


Upcoming Events
The Institute hosts dozens of events nationally each year.

Cybersecurity on Digital Health TV
A member-exclusive benefit featuring hundreds of videos.
Overview of Cybersecurity and the Community of Practice
AIDH Cybersecurity Community of Practice
Cybersecurity: What you need to know about data breach legislation
Security as a key pillar in delivering the next generation of virtualised care
Resources

2018 Cybersecurity in Australian Healthcare Survey results
HISA’s 2018 Cybersecurity in Australian Healthcare survey reached 48% of health services in regional/rural areas and 52% in metropolitan areas.We received responses from executives (23%), administrative staff (22%), IT staff (18%), clinicians (12%) and the remainder a mix of researchers, consultants, vendor specialists and board members.
Respondents felt a strong sense of organisational responsibility for the security of information assets and information systems with the following measures in place:
- formal plans (73%)
- staffing (75%)
- dedicated security budget (42%)

Security check of Australia's healthcare information
The results of HISA’s 2017 cybersecurity survey have been discussed over some months at branch meetings and webinars and now the published version has been made available online.
There were 157 responses to the survey from a cross-section of organisations. It was conducted across four broad domains to assess awareness and maturity across the healthcare ecosystem:
- Leadership
- Culture/Staff responsibility and awareness
- Policies and procedures
- General cybersecurity knowledge
Community blogs, learnings and insights
If you would like to contribute to our community of practice and have something to say, contact us.
Congratulations to your new Branch leaders
Congratulations to the new AIDH Branch Committees Thank you to everyone who nominated in the recent Branch elections, there was a record number of nominations this year with five of the six Branches going to a member vote. It was a competitive election...
List of nominees for 2022 AIDH state branch committees
We have had a great response to the annual call for Branch Committee members. Each state has five (5) vacant positions on the Committee for a two-year term with: Eight (8) nominations to be on your NSW Branch Committee Twelve (12) nominations to be on your...
Critical Infrastructure Protection Act now covers healthcare
The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act 2022 came into effect on 8 April 2022. Why is this relevant to me you ask? Well, the amendment extends the scope of the of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 to also...
Cybersecurity in Healthcare: How is your cybersecurity hygiene?
As healthcare becomes increasingly digital based and an ever-wider range of IT solutions are put in place cybersecurity remains a top concern for healthcare at all levels, particularly since COVID-19 caused a rush to provision remote care solutions...
Congratulations to new community leaders
Thank you to everyone who nominated in the AIDH community elections where branches and community of practice leaders were elected. Congratulations to the successful nominees! The following nominees were voted into branch leadership: Victoria branch:...
Introducing the 2021 Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey
The general community places its trust in the health system to safeguard health information. Is the healthcare sector doing enough to protect health information and the security of their systems? We seek to understand the current state of awareness and...
Have an interest in Cybersecurity?
Are you involved in cybersecurity or want to be? Do you have any suggestions, ideas or would like to get involved in this community of practice?
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