Securing PDAs in the Healthcare Environment

Wireless networks have become a key element in healthcare institutions for streamlining access to clinical information. With the advent of wireless technology, handheld devices such as PDAs, pagers and Pocket PCs are now being deployed into modern hospital systems. However, putting confidential data on the airwaves using wireless technology introduces significant risk and adds a new level of threat to sensitive medical information. This paper investigates the fundamental concepts required to understand PDA security issues in the health sector. It examines the various risk and threat issues, the security measures needed to secure PDA use, and the appropriate security infrastructure for healthcare settings.