Top health tech hazards for 2022: cyberattacks, supply chain shortfalls and more

The nonprofit safety group ECRI Institute published the latest version of its annual health technology hazards report this week, pointing to cybersecurity attacks, supply chain shortfalls and damaged infusion pumps as three of the biggest dangers. "A 2021 ECRI survey of healthcare workers who routinely perform duodenoscope reprocessing – that is, cleaning and disinfection (or sterilization) – identified several significant patient and worker safety hazards," it said. The report is the 15th of its kind from ECRI, which in the past has tried to keep stakeholders apprised of the potential hazards of electronic health record errors, alert fatigue and diagnostic stewardship. "Attacks can render devices or systems inoperative, degrade their performance, or expose or compromise the data they hold, all of which can severely hinder the delivery of patient care and put patients at risk," said report authors that year. "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," said ECRI researchers.