Using Simulation to Teach Security and Encryption to Non-Technical Healthcare Professionals

This paper intends to simplify challenging concepts through role-play demonstrations and serve as a foundation for understanding the basis of securing healthcare data. Disparity exists between the rising need for security of electronic healthcare information and the number of healthcare leaders who understand the concepts behind ensuring privacy and accuracy of such data. Healthcare managers with a basic understanding of data encryption and how it safeguards health information are vital to the success of Electronic Health Records. They often are responsible for proper oversight of such systems and should instill confidence in medical providers and patients that electronic medical data is safe and accurate. However, data security and privacy are complex concepts and remain foreign to many healthcare managers. This paper reviews the benefits of simulation learning and outlines a workshop and simulation game developed in response to difficulties teaching the technology of encryption. The results are validated with anecdotal and indirect statistical evidence.