Health IT

ECRI reveals top 10 healthcare technology hazards for 2018

Topping this year's list is ransomware and other cybersecurity threats. Contaminated mattresses, improperly cleaned medical devices and flaws in medical device networking also made the cut.

As tech becomes more advanced, there are bound to be potential risks and dangers.

That’s why ECRI Institute has revealed the top 10 healthcare technology hazards for 2018.

To create the annual list, ECRI’s staff of experts suggest topics for consideration. The panel then weighs them by looking at the severity, insidiousness and frequency of each hazard. All items on the list must be able to be at least somewhat preventable.

Topping the list this year is ransomware and other cybersecurity threats.

“In a healthcare environment, a malware attack can significantly impact care and delivery by rendering health IT systems unusable, by preventing access to patient data records, and by affecting the functionality of networked medical devices,” the ECRI report notes.

Cybersecurity issues can upset the supply chain, cause canceled procedures, expose private information and put patients’ safety at risk.

And despite continued efforts, the topic continues to be problematic. A recent analysis from Protenus and DataBreaches.net found there were 33 healthcare breach incidents in August alone.

The other nine hazards on the list include:

  • Failure to reprocess endoscopes. Not cleaning and sterilizing endoscopes can lead to the spreading of infections. In addition to correctly cleaning them, properly drying and storing the instruments is key, as moisture can get locked inside.
  • Contaminated stretcher and bed mattresses. Although the mattress cover is cleaned after each use, the mattress itself is not. Reusing such mattresses (which can contain leaked patient body fluids) can put other patients at risk.
  • Wrongly configured secondary notification systems. These systems are supposed to route notifications to the proper provider. But if the system isn’t properly configured, it can lead to missed alarms and potentially harm patient care.
  • Poorly or improperly cleaned medical devices. Using incompatible cleaning tools can cause a device’s interior electronics to fail and its nonmetallic parts to deteriorate, both of which are safety issues.
  • Unholstered electrosurgical active-electrode pencils. When not holstered and put on or near the patient, the pencils can potentially lead to burns or fires.
  • Poor use of digital imaging tools. Being overly exposed to imaging tools that make use of ionizing radiation can cause radiation burns and ultimately increase a patient’s risk of developing cancer.
  • Incorrectly used bar-coded medication administration systems. When providers administer medications before using the bar-code scanner or prepare medications for more than one patient at once, it negates the safety benefits that BCMAs provide.
  • Flaws in medical device networking. Errors in this realm can result in a delay in treatment or even a misdiagnosis.
  • Enteral feeding tubing misconnections. Issues with feeding tubing can end in severe problems, such as nutrition being routed to a patient’s lungs. Though such drastic situations are rare, ensuring the tubing connectors work is key.

Photo: ValeryBrozhinsky, Getty Images

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