Better data collection on medical devices needed, says IT expert

^{An IT expert has called for better data collection on medical devices to see if they have contributed to patient harm.}

In an interview with the BBC, computer professor Harold Thimbleby from Swansea University, says that medical device errors could be contributing to dozens of patient deaths in Wales each year.

Thimbleby has examined hundreds of medical devices and has found issues with them all of them.

"I've looked at hundreds of medical devices and all of them have got little problems. Clinicians are well trained professional people and they'll overcome most of the problems that come up without even thinking about it.

"Occasionally though, if a lot is going on, the device will do something inappropriate and there could be an avalanche of errors that result in serious patient harm.

"Imagine using an infusion pump to give an injection, and the pump driving the drug into the patient has a computer in it to control it. The nurse might say 10ml per hour, but if there's a bug within the device then it might give 0.1ml per hour or 100ml an hour." He told the BBC.

The professor believes that improvements to computerised devices could both improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs.

"Improving computerised devices must be the cheapest way of improving healthcare outcomes and reducing costs - computers are used everywhere." He said.

Reports into the vulnerabilities of medical devices are becoming increasingly common. Last year, a study by the Ponemon Institute found that 67% of medical device manufacturers believed that an cyber-attack was likely to occur within 12 months.

Dr Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, said: “The security of medical devices is truly a life or death issue for both device manufacturers and healthcare delivery organisations. According to the findings of the research, attacks on devices are likely and can put patients at risk. Consequently, it is urgent that the medical device industry makes the security of its devices a high priority."