Structural Model of the Healthcare Information Security Behavior of Nurses Applying Protection Motivation Theory

Background: Healthcare information includes sensitive data and, as such, must be secure; however, the risk of healthcare information leakage is increasing. Nurses manage healthcare information in hospitals; however, previous studies have either been conducted on medical workers from various other occupations or have not synthesized various factors. The purpose of this study was to create and prove a model of nurses' healthcare information security (HIS). The hypothetical model used in this study was constructed on the basis of the protection motivation theory (PMT) proposed by Rogers. Methods: A total of 252 questionnaires scored using a five-point Likert scale were analyzed, incorporating data from nurses who had been working for more than one month in general hospitals with more than 300 beds in South Korea. The survey was conducted over a total of 30 days, from 1 to 30 September 2019. Results: The results showed that coping appraisal significantly influence HIS intentions (estimate = -1.477, p < 0.01), whereas HIS intentions significantly influence HIS behavior (estimate = 0.515, p < 0.001). A moderating effect on the association between coping appraisal and HIS intentions was found in the group of nurses who had been working for <5 years (estimate = -1.820, p < 0.05). Moreover, a moderating effect on the association between HIS intentions and HIS behavior was found in the group of nurses who had been working for <5 years (estimate = 0.600, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to develop a management plan to strengthen nurses' HIS behavior and can be used by nursing managers as a basis for developing education programs.