The use of mobile devices has completely transformed the way that healthcare is delivered. With doctors, nurses, and other staff moving between clinics and offices, working both onsite and remotely, mobile and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) printing in healthcare has become essential—enabling them to print patient documents on-the-go.
But this extra convenience carries heightened security risks. Without proper safeguards, protected health information (PHI) could be exposed to data breaches, unauthorized access, or HIPAA compliance violations. To adapt to fast-changing technology trends like mobile printing, healthcare organizations must have robust mobile and BYOD printing solutions that ensure all devices meet regulatory standards.
Why mobile and BYOD Printing matter in healthcare
As with other industries, personal devices are becoming indispensable to the healthcare sector: one study showed that 87% of practitioners use a smartphone or tablet in their job, often integrating their personal device into their work.
Because healthcare staff often work in fast-paced environments, they depend on quick and easy access to printed documents, such as patient records, prescriptions, and discharge instructions. The ability to print securely from their smartphones or tablets reduces wait times and delays, enhancing the overall quality of patient care.
This embrace of digital technologies has also helped break down access barriers for people living in remote areas and disadvantaged communities. Digital health technologies, including secure mobile printing, support healthcare professionals in providing enhanced care across diverse locations, and is particularly important when it comes to remote consultations and virtual healthcare services.
Challenges in implementing mobile and BYOD printing in healthcare
The growing adoption of mobile and BYOD printing introduces significant challenges for healthcare organizations, particularly around security and regional compliance regulations like HIPAA. Amid cybersecurity threats and a heavily regulated healthcare environment, remote printing poses an additional potential risk to patient privacy.
When it comes to healthcare printing, traditional networked print systems may not be able to keep up with the security requirements of a distributed print environment, due to:
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Device vulnerability. Personal and mobile devices may lack the same security controls as hospital-managed systems—when lost or stolen, these can become a gateway to sensitive patient data and company networks.
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Lack of standardization. A variety of mobile operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows) and printer models may require different print protocols, making seamless integration with legacy print infrastructure and EHR systems complex. Without proper standardization, security settings may not apply uniformly across all devices
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Network security issues. Connecting personal devices to hospital networks can create security gaps, opening up potential entry points for cyberattacks if access controls are not properly managed.
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Limited IT oversight. Monitoring print activity across a large number of personal devices can be difficult for IT teams, with a lack of visibility increasing the risk of unauthorized access and printing of PHI.
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Inadequate user training. Staff may not be aware of best practices for secure mobile and BYOD printing for hospitals and clinics, such as the use of strong passwords and multifactor authentication.
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Lack of scalability. As more employees use BYOD and mobile printing, healthcare organizations must ensure that their print infrastructure can handle increased demand, without compromising security or efficiency.
Solutions for mobile and BYOD printing in healthcare
The key to secure mobile printing in healthcare is leveraging centralized print management software. This will help IT teams monitor and control all print activity from a single console, including the use of mobile and personal devices. Mobile printing capabilities allow employees, contractors, or guests to print from their devices to any network printer, without the need to install any software or print servers – although some solutions may require authentication software or apps to be on user devices.
Print management solutions enable location-based, driverless printing, so that printers are assigned based on the user’s actual location—ensuring that their print job is sent to the closest printer and data remains private. As an additional layer of protection, secure print release requires the user to authenticate themselves at the printer with a PIN code or swipe card before retrieving their print job. This prevents the document from being left unattended in the print tray or being picked up by the wrong person.
Beneficially, mobile and BYOD printing healthcare solutions encrypt the print job as it travels from the device to the printer, so that PHI can’t be intercepted by cybercriminals while in transit. The print management solution can also be integrated with existing healthcare IT frameworks, including electronic health records (EHR) or hospital information systems (HIS). Alongside these technical solutions, healthcare organizations must implement comprehensive policies and staff training programs to educate employees on secure mobile printing practices.
Benefits of mobile and BYOD printing in healthcare
When managed effectively, mobile and BYOD printing offer many benefits to healthcare organizations, their staff, and patients:
- Speed and convenience. Doctors, nurses, and admin staff can print securely from their device from wherever they are, without having to move to a fixed workstation.
- Greater efficiency. Faster document retrieval reduces administrative bottlenecks, leading to smoother, more efficient workflows.
- Improved patient care. With streamlined document access, healthcare staff can make faster patient decisions, improving the quality of care and treatment outcomes.
- Reduced IT burden. Mobile and BYOD is seamless and intuitive, without requiring tech support—so IT teams spend less time dealing with print-related requests.
- Cost savings. By replacing hospital-provided computers with personal devices, hardware and maintenance expenses are reduced.
- Security and compliance. Centralized print management software has built-in security measures, as well as advanced tracking and audit capabilities to ensure HIPAA compliance.
By integrating secure mobile and BYOD printing solutions, healthcare organizations can improve efficiency, enhance patient care, and ensure compliance with regulations like HIPAA. However, it’s important to remember that advanced technology needs to be supported with robust security policies and ongoing staff training. By doing so, hospitals and clinics can harness the benefits of mobile printing while safeguarding sensitive patient information.
