scholarly journals Cyber Security: Lessons Learned From Cyber-Attacks on Hospitals in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-341
Author(s):  
Jan Kolouch ◽  
Tomáš Zahradnický ◽  
Adam Kučínský
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Medical Facilities ◽  
Care Facilities

The article deals with the issue of cyber security, specifically the security of medical facilities. The introduction summarizes and briefly analyzes the cyber attacks demonstrated on Czech health care facilities in the period from 12/2019 to 1/2021, together with the procedures adopted by the responsible authorities. The article also newly presents the current regulatory requirements for cyber security of hospitals. In the context of past attacks and based on analyzes of attacks, current legislation and events, the article will provide an opinion on whether the requirements for cyber security of hospitals are set sufficiently or whether this area should be revised. At the same time, measures will be recommended to strengthen the cyber security of hospitals.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on the Frequency of Acute and Oncological Surgeries—Lessons Learned From an Austrian University Hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Abram ◽  
Lukas Gasteiger ◽  
Gabriel Putzer ◽  
Patrick Spraider ◽  
Simon Mathis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Level Of Care ◽  
Dramatic Decrease ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Medical University ◽  
Hospital Capacities

Innsbruck Medical University Hospital, Austria, provides the highest level of care for a region of approximately 1.8 million people. During the early COVID-19 outbreak in spring 2020 surgical activity was drastically reduced with the prime goal of preserving hospital capacities, especially intensive care beds. We conducted a retrospective analysis of surgical activities performed at Innsbruck Medical University Hospital during the lockdown period from March 15 to April 14, 2020 and compared these activities to the same period during the previous 5 years. Total surgical activity was reduced by 65.4% compared to the same period during the previous 5 years (p < 0.001); elective surgeries were reduced by 88.7%, acute surgeries by 35.3% and oncological surgeries by 47.8% compared to the previous 5 years (all p < 0.001). This dramatic decrease in acute and oncological surgeries can most likely be ascribed to the fact that many patients avoided health care facilities because of the strict stay-at-home policy and/or the fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 in the hospital. In view of future waves, the population should be encouraged to seek medical help for acute symptoms and to attend cancer screening programs.

Medical Surge Capacity in Atlanta-Area Hospitals in Response to Tanker Truck Chemical Releases

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 681-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis Harris ◽  
William Bell ◽  
Edward Rollor ◽  
Tawny Waltz ◽  
Pam Blackwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Toluene Diisocyanate ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Tanker Truck

ABSTRACTObjectiveWe designed and conducted a regional full-scale exercise in 2007 to test the ability of Atlanta-area hospitals and community partners to respond to a terrorist attack involving the coordinated release of 2 dangerous chemicals (toluene diisocyanate and parathion) that were being transported through the area by tanker truck.MethodsThe exercise was designed to facilitate the activation of hospital emergency response plans and to test applicable triage, decontamination, and communications protocols. Plume modeling was conducted by using the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) V4 program. The scenario went through multiple iterations as exercise planners sought to reduce total injuries to a manageable, but stressful, level for Atlanta’s health care infrastructure.ResultsAtlanta-area hospitals rapidly performed multiple casualty triage and were able to take in a surge of victims from the simulated attack. However, health care facilities were reticent to push the perceived manageable numbers of victims, and scenarios were modified significantly to lower the magnitude of the simulated attack. Additional coordination with community response partners and incident command training is recommended. Security at health care facilities and decontamination of arriving victims are two areas that will require continued review.ConclusionAtlanta-area hospitals participated in an innovative regional exercise that pushed facilities beyond traditional scopes of practice and brought together numerous health care community response partners. Using lessons learned from this exercise coupled with subsequent real-world events and training exercises, participants have significantly enhanced preparedness levels and increased the metropolitan region’s medical surge capacity in the case of a multiple casualty disaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:681–689)

scholarly journals Hospital Readiness for COVID-19: The Scenario from India with Suggestions for the World

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Mandalam Seshadri ◽  
T Jacob John
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
The World ◽  
Hospital Readiness

Lessons learned from Italy regarding hospitals and health care facilities as important sources of disease spread for COVID-19, and ways to mitigate this in India and other countries.  

Fire Disaster Readiness: Preparation for the Evacuation of Medical Facilities During Fires in Haifa, Israel, 2016

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 375-379
Author(s):  
Anatoly Kreinin ◽  
Alexey Lyansberg ◽  
Miriam Yusupov ◽  
Daniel S. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Mental Health Center ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Rehabilitation Hospital ◽  
Fire Disaster ◽  
Medical Facilities ◽  
Care Facilities

AbstractWhen a fire occurs, there is little time to escape. In less than 30 seconds, a fire can rage out of control, filling the area with heat and toxic thick smoke (Purdue University Fire Department, 2017; http://www.purdue.edu/ehps/fire/fire-101.html.) In 2010, following the successful evacuation of Maale Ha’Carmel Mental Health Center during a raging forest fire in the area, a comprehensive investigation was performed to evaluate the management of the evacuation process and to systematically elicit lessons learned from the incident. In 2016, a forest fire erupted in the same geographic area that required the evacuation of Fliman Geriatric Rehabilitation Hospital, and methodical debriefing identified the strengths and weaknesses of the evacuation process in that hospital. The lessons learned from the evacuation of these two health care facilities, which were at the focus of major fires in Israel in 2010 and in 2016, are presented. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:375–379)

scholarly journals Evacuation from Healthcare Facilities in Poland: Legal Preparedness and Preparation

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Goniewicz ◽  
Patrycja Misztal-Okońska ◽  
Witold Pawłowski ◽  
Frederick M. Burkle ◽  
Robert Czerski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Emergency Evacuation ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Medical Facilities ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Evacuation Drills

Medical facilities, while providing both essential and demanding health care to society’s most vulnerable populations, also belong to the most demanding category of risk to human life if and when a crisis event occurs within its walls. The development of a safe evacuation plan for these facilities is extremely complicated, as the evacuation of medical facilities is much more complex than for other critical infrastructure. In this category, the evacuated patients constitute a specific risk group requiring specialized medical care. Hospitalized persons may be dependent on life-saving measures, are unconscious or immobile, are significantly restricted in movement or mentally unbalanced, being dependent on the continued assistance of trained third parties. Additionally, the medical transport of evacuated patients becomes more difficult due to the limited capacity of ambulances and available health care facilities to transport them to, which are increasingly limited due to their overcrowded census. The study aimed to analyze the requirements which are placed on hospitals in Poland to ensure the safety of patients in case of an evacuation. The research method used in the paper was retrospective analysis and evaluation of the media and literature. We have found, that Polish law imposes an obligation on the administrator of a medical facility to ensure the safety of both patients and employees. The regulations cover issues of technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location, prevention, and fire protection requirements, and the determination of which staff is responsible for the evacuation. However, available documents fail to describe what the hospital evacuation process itself should entail under emergency evacuation. Taking into account the complexity of the hospital evacuation process, health care facilities should have a well-developed plan of action that must be implemented at least once a year in the form of facility-wide training. Evacuation drills should not be avoided. Only trained procedures offer the possibility of later analysis to identify and eliminate errors and provide the opportunity to acquire skill sets and habits which promote the behaviors expected in real-life emergencies.

ETHNOVETERINARY MEDICINAL USES OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS ON PNEUMONIA BY THE GUJJAR AND PAHARI TRIBES OF POONCH DISTRICT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMIL AHMED KHAN ◽  
RAJINDER PAUL
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Modern Health Care ◽  
Care Facilities

Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir is a reservoir of enormous natural resources including the wealth of medicinal plants. The present paper deals with 12 medicinal plant species belonging to 8 genera of angiosperms used on pneumonia in cattle such as cows, sheep, goats and buffaloes in different areas of Poonch district. Due to poverty and nonavailability of modern health care facilities, the indigenous people of the area partially or fully depend on surrounding medicinal plants to cure the different ailments of their cattles. Further research on modern scientific line is necessary to improve their efficacy, safety and validation of the traditional knowledge.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document