The Light Collective has released a new guide to help patients and caregivers protect their health information, prepare for technology disruptions, and recognize digital risks that can affect patient safety.

Titled Cyber Safety Is Patient Safety, the guide was developed with the Health Sector Coordinating Council’s Cybersecurity Working Group. Shared during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it offers four practical actions: prepare for hospital system downtime, secure online accounts, use artificial intelligence (AI) cautiously and report digital threats collectively.

The guide highlights how cyber incidents can disrupt care, delay prescriptions and treatments, expose sensitive health information and compromise online patient support communities. It also warns that AI tools can produce misleading information and that sharing identifiable health details with chatbots can create privacy risks.

The release follows concerns raised by Andrea Downing, president and co-founder of The Light Collective, who said at a recent conference in Santa Fe, NM, that patients often have little influence over how their health information is collected, shared, and used. Downing has called for stronger patient representation in healthcare technology governance and greater accountability from organizations developing and deploying digital tools.

The guide recommends practical steps such as keeping copies of medical records and medication lists, enabling two-factor authentication, removing identifying details before using AI tools, and asking healthcare organizations how they protect patient data.

Pietje Kobus-McAllister has an international background and experience in content management and editing. She studied journalism in the Netherlands and Communications and Creative Nonfiction in the U.S. Pietje joined Healthcare Innovation in January 2024.