Strategic Guidelines for Responding to a Healthcare Cyber-Attack

This article provides strategic guidance for executive nurses in the event of a cyber-attack. The authors examine the effect of a cyber-attack on a healthcare institution. The types of cyber-security attacks that most commonly affect healthcare organizations are described. The need for proactive, formalized plans for responding to a cyber-attack, a recovery plan for a cyber-security disaster, procedures for system downtime, planned drills, and appropriate cyber-security education for nursing leadership and staff are discussed.