June 20, 2023 — Ransomware attacks have a significant effect on emergency radiology workflows, as well as on acute care delivery and the personal well-being of healthcare providers, according to a study published June 15 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Researchers led by Liselotte van Boven, MD, from VieCuri Medical Center in Venlo, the Netherlands, found several common themes among interviewed personnel, including limited preparedness by emergency departments for such attacks. They also found that many attacks occur during the acute care and recovery phases.
“[The] interviews underscore the importance of preparation in reducing the marked clinical effect of cybercrime,” van Boven and colleagues wrote.
Many ransomware attacks occur at hospitals, disrupting medical care. Previous reports suggest that healthcare workers, including radiologists, experience longer emergency department shifts, delayed testing and treatment, higher complication rates, and increased need for patient transfers.
Read more by Amerigo Allegretto at AuntMinnie.com or access the full research article itself (paywall):
Hacking Acute Care: A Qualitative Study on the Health Care Impacts of Ransomware Attacks Against Hospitals
Liselotte S. van Boven, MD, Renske W.J. Kusters, MD, Derrick Tin, MD, Frits H.M. van Osch, PhD, Harald De Cauwer, MD, Linsay Ketelings, MS, Madhura Rao, MS, Christian Dameff, MD, Dennis G. Barten, MD
Published: June 15, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.04.025