How can a cybersecurity incident impact a dental practice owner, their employees & patients?

A cybersecurity incident can have profound and multifaceted impacts on the owner, employees and patients of a dental practice that should not be ignored. These impacts extend beyond the immediate operational disruptions and can affect the emotional well-being of individuals, professional responsibilities of employees, and even their long-term career trajectories. Operational disruptions may cause patients to leave, cause a potentially significant loss of revenue and generate reputational damage for the dental clinic and it’s owner. Below are some key effects:

1. Emotional and Psychological Impact

• Stress and Anxiety: Employees may feel overwhelmed or worried about job security, personal blame, or the overall stability of the business.

• Loss of Trust: Employees and patients may lose trust in the organization’s ability to protect its systems, data, and, in some cases, even their personal information.

• Reputational Damage: Ownership and employees might face personal backlash if the business they represent is seen as negligent or irresponsible in safeguarding data.

2. Disruption to Daily Work

• Downtime: Systems may be unavailable, preventing employees from performing their normal duties, which can result in frustration and decreased productivity. In a worst-case scenario, the dental clinic may be shut down for days or weeks while they work to recover.

• Increased Workload: After an incident, employees may need to spend additional time recovering lost data, reconfiguring systems, or responding to inquiries.

• Changing Processes: Employees may need to adapt to new cybersecurity protocols or tools introduced as part of the organization’s recovery and mitigation measures.

• Loss of patients: Some patients might decide to leave the dental practice if the time to recover has been lengthy or they are concerned about the potential loss of their personal information via the cybersecurity incident.

3. Financial Consequences

• Missed Bonuses or Raises: The financial strain on the business due to the incident may lead to budget cuts, potentially affecting salaries, bonuses, and raises.

• Personal Financial Risk: If employee or and/or patient information (e.g., bank details, social security numbers, contact details) is compromised, they may face personal identity theft or fraud.

• Loss of Dental Practice Revenue: If no recovery plan is in place ahead of time, the dental practice owner may be faced with a prolonged shutdown while recovery takes place. This could result in significant financial loss, especially if there is no Cybersecurity Insurance in place for the dental practice.

4. Professional Consequences

• Blame and Accountability: Depending on their role, employees may be held accountable for the incident, whether fairly or unfairly along with dental practice ownership.

• Training Requirements: Employees may need to undergo extensive cybersecurity training post-incident, which could feel burdensome or disruptive to their regular tasks.

• Reputational Impact: For employees in customer-facing roles, they may need to handle angry or concerned patients, which could tarnish their professional reputation.

5. Morale and Team Dynamics

• Low Morale: A major cybersecurity breach can erode confidence within the team, especially if dental practice ownership is perceived as unprepared or ineffective.

• Blame Culture: If the organization’s response to the incident involves finger-pointing rather than collaboration, team cohesion can suffer.

• Turnover: Employees may leave the dental practice due to the stress of the breach, lack of faith in the organization’s recovery efforts or simply from loss of income.

6. Long-Term Career Implications

• Skill Development: Employees might need to acquire new cybersecurity skills, which can either be seen as an opportunity or a burden.

• Job Loss: In severe cases, a cybersecurity incident could lead to layoffs, especially if the business suffers significant financial losses or reputational damage.

• Legal Scrutiny: Employees involved in managing sensitive data could face investigations, audits, or legal action if negligence is suspected.

7. Personal Data Breach

• Compromised Information: If patient and/or employee personal data is leaked during the breach, they may need to deal with identity theft, credit monitoring, or other mitigation efforts.

• Distrust in Employer: A failure to protect patient and employee personal data can lead to resentment or skepticism about how much the dental practice values its patients and employees.

Mitigating These Impacts

Organizations should prioritize transparency, support, and training for employees during and after a cybersecurity incident. Open communication with both patients and employees is critical. Providing counseling services, and a focus on collective learning can help minimize the negative effects for employees and restore trust within the workforce.