Medical Internet of Things in Swedish health care

Today, healthcare is more connected to the internet and handles greater amounts of sensitive information than ever before. This information is managed to a greater extent by various IT systems that form the basis for the digitization that is carried out in healthcare, where IoT systems play a significant role. In healthcare, there are extensive challenges in protecting information and preserving privacy. Connected healthcare systems generate large volumes of information such as ongoing treatment for diseases and patient records. Therefore, healthcare becomes an attractive target for cyber-attacks. Initially, MIoT systems (Medical Internet of Things) used in healthcare are not secure enough to manage data and preserve privacy. The purpose of this study is to examine what measures are taken in Swedish healthcare to manage the security and privacy issues that exist when implementing and using MIoT. A qualitative interview study was conducted. As method for data collection a semi-structured interview was applied to answer the study’s purpose and research question. Based on previous literature and collected empirical data, 5 categories were identified and described thematically based on the informants' answers. The study examines the work with information security and cyber security within the implementation and use of MIoT at several organizations in the healthcare sector to obtain diversity in collected data. This study demonstrates the security measures that are taken in the healthcare sector to manage security and privacy issues during the implementation and management of MIoT. The study provides a description of the measures taken to protect information and preserve privacy, as well as further reasoning regarding the complexity of current legislation to manage personal data. The recommendations of this study show that additional security measures are required for a reliable and secure implementation of MIoT in healthcare