Identity 360 - An Imprivata Blog

After the recent 2008 HIMSS Conference, we conducted a survey of 171 healthcare IT decision makers to identify some of the trends they face relating to identity management. I wanted to call out a few interesting data points:

• Eighty-five percent of respondents stated that they are looking to use tablets or mobile devices

I found this to be an interesting indicator of the growing need/desire to have anytime access to information - when seconds matter, like in a hospital environment, having data at your fingertips is invaluable.

• 26 percent of respondents log into applications 20-50 times per day, while another 5 percent log in more than 50 times per day

The figure is stunning.  With compliance issues in mind, imagine having to properly log-in and log-out that many times each day... mind numbing, and certainly a drain on productivity if you have to remember dozens of different passwords.

• 44 percent of respondents acknowledge that their organizations face state requirements for electronic prescription drug order authentication and verification today.

We've talked with a lot of hospitals over the past 18 months, and this stat is representative of those conversations regarding drug dispensing and verification rules.  As organizations go even more digital, they must ensure electronic transactions for prescription drug orders aren't misused or abused and strong authentication measures are being mandated - it'll be a primary issue they tackle in the years ahead as more hospitals depend on online information and states get onboard with these requirements.

Check out the press release or the full research brief - 2008 Identity Management Trends in Healthcare summarizing the findings for more.  Overall, pretty interesting stuff.  If you're in the healthcare sector, are these the issues you're having and/or the trends you're seeing?  We'd love to hear from you - chime in with a comment below, or drop me a note.

- John Clark, Product Manager