FACE FACTS Empowering health IT with facial recognition By Gus Malezis
W
hether unlocking a smartphone or logging into an app, facial recognition has become a bigger part of how people access technology. Breached credentials remain a common factor in cyberattacks. And the demand for advanced and secure authentication methods like biometrics has only grown as part of the solution, offering usable and effective options to combat cyber threats. It is therefore no surprise that the global facial recognition market is projected to reach $10.2 billion US by 2028. For industries like healthcare, which require clinicians to enter multiple logins every day, facial biometric authentication could be a game-changer. A lot of time is spent logging in to various systems and applications and
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accessing data while caring for each patient. The seamless and non-disruptive workflow of facial recognition could save valuable time, resulting in a better patient experience and staff job satisfaction. Now, with the broad adoption of telehealth and virtual care, health systems are expected to do more even faster. There is a growing need for mobile and remote clinical workflows with fast authentication methods. Although it is more common to use a laptop or desktop for authentication, this can be a clunky process and sometimes causes patient delays in receiving medication. Too often, the lack of mobile workf lows, namely smartphone and tablet devices, also creates patient safety issues,
increases dissatisfaction and adds greater stress to providers. To optimize patient care, innovation in technology is needed across all the various devices that doctors and nursing staff use. Fortunately, facial biometric authentication options allow for a secure, fast and efficient workflow. Considering the time this can save clinicians from log-ins alone, facial recognition might lead to pivotal change for caregivers and patients alike. REDUCING RISK
The opioid crisis has impacted many nations, with two of the hardest hit being Canada and the United States. While the U.S. has implemented nationwide legislation requiring electronic prescribing of
