Hospitals around the world face potentially costly and devastating risks to their patients and financial bottom line because of the vulnerabilities introduced when medical devices are connected to information technology (IT) networks.
Those risks, however, could be significantly mitigated through the application of thoughtful and comprehensive risk management practices, according to a new resource from AAMI―called Health IT Risk Management―that lays out the business case for the use of a series of standards known as 80001.
Whether it’s a software patch that takes down an entire fleet of life-critical infusion pumps or a network upgrade that winds up crashing a patient monitoring system, the threats posed by the highly technical and interconnected nature of modern healthcare are real and consequential.
“Imagine having a plan in place that would help your staff know what to do under such alarming circumstances and help prevent such disruptions from happening in the first place,” reads Health IT Risk Management. “Fortunately, a standard was developed by a distinguished committee of medical device manufacturers, IT experts, and others with a keen understanding of medical devices and IT systems – and how they must work together.”