Why Is Secure Text Messaging For Healthcare Providers Such an Issue?

Amongst all the mobile medical apps that doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals use, secure texting is one of the most problematic.

Texting allows medical professionals to communicate easier, and increase their productivity and efficiency at work. This all leads to superior quality of care. Texting appears to be a great idea for medical professionals, but most of the time it’s unsecured, which is a huge issue.

You see, when someone sends a text, it doesn’t just go straight to the other person’s phone. Instead, it’s relayed to a server somewhere, where it’s stored, and is then sent to a person’s phone. These text’s contain private medical information that others aren’t allowed to see. Without secure text messaging for healthcare providers, such information is at risk of being insecurely circulated, which is a huge, unlawful breach of privacy.

What’s more, should the phones become lost or stolen, that private information stored on the phone’s hard drive in turn also becomes lost or stolen as well. This is also true for patients as well, who may use their mobile devices to communicate with their healthcare providers. Without even realizing it, they’re breaching their own privacy.

All that being said, there are mobile medical apps that support a secure texting feature. Such mobile medical apps allow medical professionals to continue to text and communicate with each other freely, keeping their productivity and efficiency increased.

These mobile medical apps will also keep the information from being stored on the personal phone’s hard drive as well, and afford their owners the chance to erase the information remotely as well. That way, if the phone is lost or stolen, or even if a message is sent to the wrong recipient, these mobile medical apps will correct the mistake.

Maintaining security does not have to interfere with procedures, or impede the work day. Thanks to mobile medical apps, the quality of healthcare can continue to improve. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.