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Protecting the security of patients’ information is of tremendous importance to policy makers and healthcare researchers. Past research suggests that information security problems can be understood by using a stress/ coping framework that examines information security stressors in the environment and the corresponding coping responses. Following this line of thinking, the present paper examines the following questions: What information security stressors are encountered in the healthcare environment? How do care providers cope with these stressors and what is the nature of the stress/coping relationship? To answer these questions, we conducted a case study based on semi-structured interviews with 41 health care providers in two hospital settings. Our findings show that the coping responses to information security stressors are not restricted to compliance/non-compliance behaviors. Stressors elicit an array of coping responses that cover a wide range of coping categories. Moreover, our results show a reciprocal relationship between stressors and coping responses.

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Aug 10th, 12:00 AM

Coping with Information Security Stressors in Healthcare

Protecting the security of patients’ information is of tremendous importance to policy makers and healthcare researchers. Past research suggests that information security problems can be understood by using a stress/ coping framework that examines information security stressors in the environment and the corresponding coping responses. Following this line of thinking, the present paper examines the following questions: What information security stressors are encountered in the healthcare environment? How do care providers cope with these stressors and what is the nature of the stress/coping relationship? To answer these questions, we conducted a case study based on semi-structured interviews with 41 health care providers in two hospital settings. Our findings show that the coping responses to information security stressors are not restricted to compliance/non-compliance behaviors. Stressors elicit an array of coping responses that cover a wide range of coping categories. Moreover, our results show a reciprocal relationship between stressors and coping responses.