Part one: ECRI tech hazards 2019

The ECRI Institute published its annual list of the top 10 health technology hazards facing healthcare in 2019. Longtime readers will recognize several hazards from ECRI’s 2018 and 2017 lists, such as cybersecurity and mattresses oozing body fluids.

But we have some new additions to this year’s list, including retained surgical items and patient lift systems. PSMJ spoke to several experts on the top 10 issues and about steps that can be taken to prevent them to guide readers in the upcoming year.

This article contains hazards one through five. The remaining hazards will appear in upcoming editions of PSMJ.

1.    Cybersecurity and hacking
Summary: In its latest update on this problem, ECRI pointed to the vulnerability of remote access points: connections to hospital devices and systems that are off-site. These points are often missed in regular security maintenance, leaving them exposed.  

In a healthcare environment, a malware attack can cause procedures to be canceled, damage equipment and systems, expose or corrupt sensitive data, and force closures of entire care units. Ultimately, they can compromise or delay patient care, leading to patient harm.

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