Security

Article • Data management

Healthcare organisations explore the potential of Blockchain and patient engagement

The emergence of Blockchain technology is set to play an ever-increasing role within healthcare settings within the next two years, according to industry experts. One organisation focusing on its potential is global consultancy and software development company DataArt, which sees more healthcare organisations embracing its applications in the not too distant future. Blockchain is a continuously…

News • Patient safety

Greiner Bio-One expands blood collection product range

The Vacuette Safety Winged Set is a new addition to Greiner Bio-One’s (GBO) range of safety products. GBO now offers its customers an even wider selection of safety blood collection sets. In response to high demand for Greiner Bio-One safety products, the existing range will be joined by the new Vacuette Safety Winged Set. As always, the aim is to provide functional, user-friendly and…

News • Advancing integrated care

Why secure patient identity management is essential

Efficient and reliable patient identify management will be an essential element in making the benefits of integrated care a reality. This was the core message at the launch of a joint new publication from COCIR and the SIA entitled ‘Identity in Healthcare’ at the HIMSS Europe and Health 2.0 conference in Barcelona. The publication brings much-needed clarity and key recommendations to the ID…

Article • GCCA/GBCA safety

Gadolinium @ ECR 2018 – diverse and “disunited”?

Gadolinium-containing/gadolinium-based contrast agents (GCCAs/GBCAs) and their usage was a major topic at ECR 2018. Fuelled by the current debate a number of presentations focused on possible impact, risks and necessities. Some were highly specific, others took a broader view. The only consensus, however, seems to be the need for more research and the focus on safety. Three ECR speakers, Joseph…

Article • New regulation

GDPR: Healthcare sector must be ready for data shake-up

New laws mark the biggest shake-up in data protection legislation in decades. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect across Europe on May 25. Whilst the new legislation affects a wide range of organisations and businesses, Freelance Data Privacy Consultant Darren Rose emphasises the importance of healthcare providers being ready for the change.

News • Dual-use technology

From healthcare to warfare: How to regulate brain technology

Ethicists from the University of Basel have outlined a new biosecurity framework specific to neurotechnology. While the researchers declare an outright ban of dual-use technology ethically unjustified, they call for regulations aimed at protecting the mental privacy and integrity of humans. The journal Neuron has published the study. The term “dual-use” refers to technology that can be used…

News • Cryptography

How can blockchain accelerate innovation in healthcare?

Blockchain technology can be a potential industry disrupter in healthcare. It is a proven game changer in the business arena. In a recent IBM study, they surveyed 200 healthcare executives, of whom 16% expect to have a commercial blockchain solution sometime in the very near future. So, what is blockchain technology? In a nutshell, the concept is based on a list of records, called blocks, which…

Article • The potential insights are invaluable; we should not waste this source

Medical data mining

The treasure trove of healthcare data waiting to be explored in German hospitals is immense and could provide invaluable insights. However, what about data security and privacy? Andreas Klüter, CTO of Empolis Information Management GmbH, a new business entry in healthcare IT, spoke with European Hospital about medical text mining and the need for ethics discussion.

Article • WannaCry

NHS remains vulnerable to cyberattack

The global WannaCry ransomware cyberattack had a particularly acute impact on health services across the UK. Mark Nicholls looks at how the NHS was left vulnerable to the WannaCry cyberattack. While affecting computers across the world – from Russia to the US – NHS hospitals were forced to cancel routine surgery and GP appointments as systems were affected by the cyberattack or were…

Article • IT security

What keeps a hospital’s immune system healthy?

‘You can’t get 100 percent security, you can’t avoid all risks – but you can improve security tremendously just by considering some rules,’ explains Torbjörn Kronander, Board member, CEO and President of Sectra AB.

News • Digital hygiene

Hospitals must be prepared for ransomware attacks

Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, describes how a virus - or “ransomware” - infected and locked computers at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles hospital in February 2016.

News • WannaCry

Cyber attack worrying for patients

Tens of thousands of "ransomware" attacks have targeted organizations around the world on March 12. The hackers locked down particular files on a computer and asked the computer's administrator for a payment in order to regain control of them. Groups hit included hospitals in the UK that had to cancel outpatient appointments.

Article • Hospital technology

IT security: The user perspective

‘From an IT perspective, medicine is now networked to a very large degree, no matter which departments you look at,’ says Stefan Bücken, IT Security Officer at Erlangen University Hospital, Germany.

News • National security

Counterterrorism strategy is having little impact in the NHS

British NHS organisations are obliged by law to report people it fears at risk of becoming terrorists under the Prevent strategy - part of the UK government’s counterterrorism plan aimed at stopping people becoming terrorists. But new data collected by The BMJ has uncovered low levels of referrals to Prevent since the duty took hold, suggesting that it is having little impact in the NHS.

News • Data Security

IT Researchers Break Anonymity of Gene Databases

DNA profiles can reveal a number of details about individuals. There are laws in place that regulate the trade of gene data. However, these laws do not apply to an equally relevant type of genetic data, so-called microRNAs. This means that anonymity needs to be strictly maintained in microRNA studies as well. Researchers from the Research Center for IT Security, CISPA, have now been able to show…

Article • Protection

Hospitals need a holistic approach to cyber security

A number of organisations within healthcare remain at risk of leaving systems vulnerable by failing to ensure there is a broad range of protection in place to safeguard data from hackers or cyber attack.

Interview • Security

Go biometric or risk a botch up

Today most healthcare systems rely on text-based matching: A patient’s ID card or driver’s license is considered sufficient proof of identity. This “identification system” however puts patients at risk of death, improper treatment, insurance abuse and lawsuits the provider and hospital cannot defend. Dr Raymond D. Aller, Director of Informatics at the Director of Informatics for the…

News • Inflammatory bowel disease

International consensus report highlights need for improved management of CDI

Results from an international consensus project involving a multidisciplinary group of clinicians have been presented today at 26th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2016. A current lack of data on outcomes in patients with IBD who have CDI means that appropriate choice of treatment strategy can be unclear. The consensus examines the issues impacting…

News • Zika virus

Nurses are first point of care for education and community resilience

As the largest group of health professionals in the world, and the first point of care for many, nurses are key to educating patients on prevention and risk of the Zika virus and providing care to those who need treatment.

News • Mammography

Making a safe procedure even safer

In a comprehensive modeling study, researchers from UC Davis and other institutions have found that breast cancer screening with digital mammography poses only a small risk of radiation-induced breast cancer for most women. However, the research showed increased risk for women with large breasts or breast implants, who must often receive extra screening views, increasing their radiation exposure.

Article • Telecardiology

Home monitoring in fast action

Every year, worldwide, over a million patients have a pacemaker or defibrillator implanted. Home monitoring systems can significantly improve the safety and quality of life for these patients, says Professor Gerhard Hindricks, head physician in the rhythmology department at Leipzig’s Heart Centre. Report: Sascha Keutel

Article • Politics

Europe faces unprecedented threats

Two of the core tenets underpinning the European vision – the euro and the Schengen agreement – are coming under unprecedented threat through financial challenges and the impact of the refugee crisis across the continent. It is these critical issues that keynote speaker Professor Martin McKee will tackle during the opening plenary session at the European Health Forum in Gastein in…

News • Clinical information systems

Agfa HealthCare selected as approved supplier for NHS SBS

Agfa HealthCare announces that it has been selected as one of the approved suppliers in the NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) Healthcare Clinical Information Systems Framework. This four-year, £1.25 billion framework - which can be extended by an additional two years - speeds up and simplifies the healthcare IT systems tender process for healthcare providers.

Interview • Systems medicine

IT is a resource just like water or energy

Systems medicine – the interdisciplinary field incorporating biochemical, physiological and environmental interactions in the study of human body systems as part of an integrated whole – draws heavily on the technological advances in information technology (IT). New ways to use data impact on healthcare and society, says Professor Dr Heyo Kroemer, Dean of the Medical School, Georg August…

News • Apple

New app to recruit and track patients in clinical study

By providing tools to allow users to be more productive in working with healthcare big data, several Silicon Valley giants hope to increase their presence in medical services. The latest company to enter the field is Apple Computers. In March it announced the availability of ResearchKit, an open-source software framework that turns the iPhone into a research tool.

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