Post-Quantum Cryptography and Encryption Standards: Safeguarding Patient Data against Emerging Cyber Threats in Telemedicine

Abstract

Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a critical innovation for securing telemedicine patient data against emerging quantum computing threats. This study evaluates the vulnerabilities of existing encryption frameworks using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Healthcare Data Breach Report. A weak correlation (r = -0.087) between encryption strength and breach severity suggests that while stronger encryption reduces the number of compromised records, factors such as system misconfigurations, phishing attacks, and insider threats remain significant contributors to data breaches. The study further benchmarks the performance of four NIST-approved PQC algorithms—Kyber, Dilithium, Falcon, and SPHINCS+—by analyzing encryption time, decryption time, key size, computational overhead, and storage requirements. Benchmarking data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is statistically evaluated using one-way ANOVA, which identifies significant performance differences among the PQC algorithms (p < 0.05). Falcon demonstrates the highest efficiency, with an encryption time of 17.16 ms, a decryption time of 18.59 ms, and optimized storage (2.05 MB), making it well-suited for real-time telemedicine applications. Institutional readiness for PQC adoption is assessed using the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Cybersecurity Survey, identifying technical expertise (6.97/10) and infrastructure readiness (6.97/10) as the strongest adoption determinants. Based on the findings, this study recommends prioritizing Falcon for PQC adoption in telemedicine due to its superior efficiency, enhancing encryption key management protocols to mitigate insider threats, and strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure to address encryption misconfigurations. These measures will ensure that telemedicine systems remain secure, resilient, and capable of mitigating quantum-era cyber threats.