Contactless Smart Card Technology Improves Access Control and Information Security

In the past few years, the healthcare industry has become increasingly dependent on information technology. Contactless smart card technology has been used in other industries for many years and is currently helping the healthcare industry solve some of the long-standing and thorny problems: protecting patients and employees, as well as patients' confidential personal data.



In the past, it was easy for intruders to get in and out of the hospital and to randomly enter areas where they should have only authorized employees to get involved. In a few cases, there are security risks - for example, babies have been stolen from a pediatric ward. The contactless smart card can solve this access control problem by encrypting data and allowing some employees to gain and remove hierarchical access to each building. For example, a cardiothoracic surgeon may only need access to the operating room, whereas the receptionist may need access to all wards in the hospital.

Medical professionals may also need smart cards to access sensitive patient data on the Web. Therefore, the use of a smart card to control the computer desktop login not only protects the patient's personal information, but also improves efficiency. If doctors only need a smart card to log into the IT system, they can avoid wasting time by recalling and entering user names and passwords, saving time in caring for patients and storing and managing patient data in a safe and secure manner.

Smart cards are classified as contactless or contactless and provide three levels of security: single-factor authentication, two-factor authentication, and three-factor authentication. With one-factor authentication, you can log in to the system or enter the building as long as you use a smart card. Two-factor authentication is the most common smart card verification method in UK hospitals. It also uses personal identification numbers (PINs) and smart cards to increase security. Three-factor authentication goes one step further by using not only PIN codes but also other security measures such as biometrics. The contactless smart card has traditionally been used only for access control and is now also being used in computer desktop logins.

This technology has a great influence on infection control. We have all noticed that antibacterial hand sanitizers have been placed at the entrance of all wards in hospitals, and everyone has seen posters of the bird flu prevention that the government has distributed to various households. Imagine a doctor who had visited 20 patients in five wards within a few hours of visiting the house. During this time, she arrived in different areas of the hospital and logged in different computer systems. It is easy for us to understand how the infection has spread through these contacts. The contactless smart card only needs to be swiped in front of the reader, which plays a key role in limiting the infection. After all, if you do not touch the card reader when you swipe your card, you can effectively prevent the spread of germs.

Non-contact smart technology has so many advantages that it is easy to use. However, some hospitals still use the most basic security access control: magnetic stripe cards store magnetic data on the back of the card.

Although magnetic stripe cards are inexpensive to produce, they are more expensive to maintain. When the magnetic stripe card is in contact with the card reader during card insertion, debris attached to the card will inevitably fall on the card reader and the contact strips in the card reader. But also vulnerable to electromagnetic interference, easy to wear and break: use over time will cause the card on the magnetic stripe wear, and ultimately lead to failure. This type of card is limited by data storage capabilities. In comparison, smart cards have more powerful storage capabilities. At present, some smart cards have up to 164K of memory.

However, the biggest drawback of the magnetic stripe card is that the card information is easy to copy. A magnetic card reader can be purchased at a shop on the street, and a card reader can be used to extract the information on the card and then use this information to copy numerous cards.

Many hospitals will consider the cost of upgrading to a contactless smart card system. Hospital administrators may need to choose between upgrading access control and computer desktop login systems and adding 30 beds. However, effective infection control or delivery room security is not measured by money.

When you weigh the costs and benefits of contactless smart card technology, you must first consider the value that the technology can provide to the healthcare industry, save time and money, and protect patients and employees and their personal data. The contactless smart card that is convenient and safe to carry is gradually becoming an important tool to guarantee the actual security and privacy of confidential electronic information.