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January 18, 2022 03:47 PM

From cybersecurity to wifi, here are the top 10 tech threats for 2022

Lisa Gillespie
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    Cybersecurity attacks are one of the most critical safety hazards facing hospitals today, according to a report the safety and quality organization ECRI published Tuesday.

    "The question is not whether a given facility will be attacked, but when," the ECRI report says. "Such incidents don't just interfere with business operations—they can disrupt patient care, posing a real threat of physical harm."

    Cyberattacks can have devastating short-term consequences at hospitals, ECRI reports. Hospital units or even entire health systems may be shut down, surgeries may be rescheduled, emergency medical vehicles may be diverted and network-connected medical devices may stop working, ECRI reports. The organization recommends that systems create plans for maintaining patient care during cybersecurity attacks and creating robust security programs.

    "The safe use of health technology—from simple devices to complex information systems—requires identifying possible sources of danger or difficulty with those technologies and taking steps to minimize the likelihood that adverse events will occur," the ECRI report says.

    ECRI ranked the top 10 technology hazards for 2022 using several criteria, such as how often the events occur, how severe they are and how likely they are to lead to patient safety failures.

    Cybersecurity threats have worsened for healthcare organizations since the COVID-19 pandemic begun. Slightly more than half of health systems endured attacks that harmed patient care in 2021, according to a survey from the Ponemon Institute, an information technology and security consulting firm. Of those, 70% reported the attacks led to longer lengths of stay and poorer outcomes resulting from delayed care.

    One of those systems was San Diego-based Scripps Health, which was hit with a ransomware attack in May that disrupted care delivery for a month and caused many patients to worry about safety or to postpone care.

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    ECRI also identified damaged infusion pumps, inadequate emergency stockpiles, telehealth workflow issues, the use of artificial intelligence in imaging and faulty disposable gowns as health hazards. These risks often are the result of systems that were put in place quickly during the pandemic without rigorous risk analyses.

    The report also cautions providers about their increasing reliance on Wi-Fi networks. Clinical alarms and access to electronic health records can be disrupted easily if there are Wi-Fi deadspots in a healthcare facility or if internet service goes out. ECRI recommends monitoring networks on an ongoing basis.

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