Securing Maternal and Neonatal Health Records: A Cybersecurity Framework for Perinatal Care Systems

Abstract

In the evolving digital healthcare landscape, the secure management of maternal and neonatal health records has emerged as a critical challenge. With perinatal care systems increasingly adopting electronic health records (EHRs), cloud-based storage, and interconnected health technologies, the risk of data breaches, unauthorized access, and cyberattacks has become a pressing concern. This research paper presents a comprehensive cybersecurity framework tailored specifically to safeguard maternal and neonatal health information, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and availability throughout the perinatal care continuum. The study investigates the vulnerabilities inherent in perinatal data systems, which often include sensitive medical histories, fetal monitoring data, diagnostic imaging, genomic records, and real-time biometric feedback. These data points, while crucial for clinical decision-making and early intervention, are highly valuable targets for malicious actors. Compounding the risk is the often fragmented digital infrastructure across maternity clinics, obstetric departments, and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), which can result in inconsistent security protocols and weak data governance. Through a multi-dimensional approach incorporating stakeholder interviews, risk assessments, case analyses, and current threat landscape evaluations, the research identifies key gaps in existing perinatal data security practices. Among the most pressing concerns are insufficient encryption standards during data transmission, limited access control mechanisms, outdated authentication protocols, and poor cybersecurity literacy among healthcare personnel. In response, the proposed cybersecurity framework integrates technical, procedural, and policy-level solutions. It emphasizes end-to-end encryption for data at rest and in transit, biometric-based identity verification, blockchain-backed data traceability, role-based access control (RBAC), and continuous monitoring powered by artificial intelligence to detect anomalies and threats in real-time. The framework also incorporates training modules for staff and clear compliance guidelines aligned with global health data protection standards, such as HIPAA and GDPR. Pilot implementation of the framework in selected healthcare institutions demonstrated marked improvements in data resilience and user accountability, as well as a measurable reduction in security incidents and near misses. Furthermore, the framework facilitated improved interdepartmental communication and trust, which are essential for delivering integrated, patient-centered maternal and neonatal care. This paper concludes that a robust, adaptive cybersecurity architecture is indispensable for perinatal care systems in the digital era. Protecting maternal and neonatal health records is not merely a technical mandate but a moral and professional obligation that underpins the safety, dignity, and privacy of two of the most vulnerable patient populations: expectant mothers and newborns.