ABSTRACT
In information security, it is widely accepted that the more authentication factors are used, the higher the security level. However, more factors cannot guarantee usability in real usage because human and other non-technical factors are involved. This paper proposes the use of all possible authentication factors, called comprehensive-factor authentication, which can maintain the required security level and usability in real-world implementation. A case study of an implementation of a secure time attendance system that applies this approach is presented. The contribution of this paper is therefore to provide a security scheme seamlessly integrating all classical authentication factors plus a location factor into one single system in a real environment with a security and usability focus. Usability factors emerging from the study are related to a seamless process including the least number of actions required, the lowest amount of time taken, health safety during the pandemic, and data privacy compliance.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A hospital is an unfamiliar place to patients because of its style, atmosphere, and procedures. These hospital characteristics cause patients to become confused about responding to protocols, which slows down the procedural flows. Some additional information technology infrastructure facilities and human resources may be needed to solve these problems. However, this solution needs high investment and cannot guarantee an accuracy of information sent to patients. To handle this limitation, EasyHos has been developed to help patients recognize their status (for example, "waiting for an appointment at 11am") during their stay in a hospital using all existing infrastructure and hospital data and without changing existing hospital's process. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide a design of the EasyHos system and the case study in hospitals in Thailand. The design is usable and repeatable for small- and medium-sized hospitals where internet infrastructure is in place. METHODS: The EasyHos system has been designed based on existing infrastructure, hospital data and hospital processes. The main components include mobile devices, existing hospital data, wireless communication network. The EasyHos was deployed at 2 hospitals in Thailand, one small and the other with a medium size. The experimental process was focused on solving the problem of unfamiliarity in the hospital. The criteria and pretest conditions regarding the unexpected problem have been defined before the experiment. RESULTS: The results are presented in terms of criteria, pretest conditions, posttest conditions in the hospitals. The posttest conditions show the experimental results and impact of the system on users such as hospital nurses/staff and patients. For example, the questions from patients were reduced by 83.3% after using EasyHos system while nurses/hospital staff had 5 min more to do their routine work each day. In addition, another impact is that hospitals can create new information values from existing data, which now can be visible and valuable to patients. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals' unexpected problems have been reduced by the EasyHos system. The EasyHos system has been developed with self-service and patient-centered concepts to assist patients with necessary information. The system makes interaction easier for nurses/hospital staff members and patients working or waiting in the hospital. The nurses/hospital staff members would have more time to do their routine works. Hospitals can easily set up the EasyHos system, which will have a low or nearly zero implementation cost.
