Human Factors and Cybersecurity in NHS Virtual Wards

The rapid evolution of healthcare technology, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to a significant increase in the establishment and expansion of Virtual Wards by the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. Virtual wards provide patients with hospital-level care in the comfort of their homes, facilitating quicker recovery while also freeing up hospital beds for those most in need. Patients receive daily reviews by the clinical team, which may involve home visits or virtual ward rounds conducted via video technology. Many virtual wards utilize apps, wearables, and other medical devices to enable clinical staff to easily monitor patients’ recovery progress. While this shift extends healthcare services remotely, it also presents cybersecurity challenges inherent to the new infrastructure, particularly concerning human factors of stakeholders involved. This paper will explore the context of NHS virtualwards, focusing on user interface design, usability, and accessibility of virtual ward technologies, and discussing their impact on both patients and healthcare professionals. Special attention will be given to the challenges faced by diverse patient groups, such as the elderly and individuals with disabilities, in navigating virtual
healthcare environments, and how these factors influence the vulnerabilities of virtual ward technologies from a human factors perspective. Additionally, this paper will examine regulatory frameworks and standards, the role of patient and staff training
in cybersecurity awareness, and the integration of advanced security measures within these new healthcare infrastructures. Emphasizing the importance of a humancentric approach, this work will propose a multi-disciplinary strategy to address these
challenges, advocating for privacy-by-design modelling of Virtual Wards and promoting collaboration among patients, healthcare professionals, IT experts, cybersecurity specialists, and policymakers.