Date of Conferral

8-26-2025

Degree

Doctor of Information Technology (D.I.T.)

School

Information Systems and Technology

Advisor

Constance Blanson

Abstract

The healthcare industry has been impacted by an increase in cybersecurity breaches because of cyberattacks when using telemedicine. It is crucial that information technology (IT) managers in the private healthcare industry protect personal health information (PHI) to uphold patients’ right to privacy, maintain their trust, prevent legal ramifications, and to comply with government regulations. This qualitative pragmatic research used the integrated system theory (IST) as a road map to explore effective cybersecurity strategies used to protect PHI in telemedicine. The participants were seven IT managers in the private healthcare industry within the United States who had experience with cybersecurity strategies implementation to protect PHI from cyberattacks when using telemedicine. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face online/virtual interviews, voice recordings and researcher notes, and publicly available online documents. The analysis focused on five major themes: (a) protection from unauthorized disclosure, (b) risk management, (c) cybersecurity awareness and education, (d) privacy, and (e) data-loss prevention. Some recommendations for IT managers are to implement an integrated data protection strategy that includes security mechanisms, such as encryption and access control, while keeping a balance between confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as well as to ensure that personnel receive cyber awareness training and education to recognize threats. The implications for positive social change rest on the potential for IT managers to enhance cybersecurity measures to reduce PHI data exposure in telemedicine, thus improving healthcare outcomes for individuals and potentially increasing individuals’ quality of life.

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