Under viral attack: An orthopaedic response to challenges faced by regional referral centres during a national cyber-attack

A national ransomware attack on the Irish Health Service Executive left the Healthcare system bereft of access to IT systems, electronic patient records, and the national imaging system. Widespread disruption to internal and external referral pathways, and both trauma and elective Orthopaedic servic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The surgeon (Edinburgh) 2022-10, Vol.20 (5), p.334-338
Main Authors: Feeley, Aoife, Lee, Matthew, Crowley, Michelle, Feeley, Iain, Roopnarinesingh, Ryan, Geraghty, Sinead, Cosgrave, Brian, Sheehan, Eoin, Merghani, Khalid
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptations
Challenges
Cybersecurity
Electronic records
Trauma assessment
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Summary:A national ransomware attack on the Irish Health Service Executive left the Healthcare system bereft of access to IT systems, electronic patient records, and the national imaging system. Widespread disruption to internal and external referral pathways, and both trauma and elective Orthopaedic services occurred as a result. The purpose of this paper to discuss the challenges faced by Regional trauma units and adjustments made to overcome these. Issues occurring as a result of the IT cybersecurity attack were discussed at regional level. Local and specialist centre adaptations were collated to identify effective modifications to established practice in the wake of the IT attack. The main areas affecting Orthopaedic regional practice were identified, including internal referrals, interhospital referrals to both regional and specialist centres, outpatient clinics, and elective practice. Strategies to overcome these were collated and shared between regional centres, including the use of secure messaging systems to safely transmit relevant clinical information between services, use of radiological hard copies, and integration of imaging resources to the outpatient department to expedite clinical review. The national cyberattack necessitated rapid adaptations to overcome the challenges faced as a result of reduced clinical and radiological access. While the recent cyberattack highlights the vulnerability of electronic systems, and the need for vigilance including staff training on cybersecurity; Changes implemented by regional centres also illustrate the potential for further development and expansion of current clinical practices. •A cyberattack in Irish healthcare highlights a potential expansion of current practice•Two-way secure messaging can expedite patient referral pathways•Introduction of radiology to Outpatient Departments can accelerate clinical review•Importance of focused examinations and high quality communication was demonstrated
ISSN:1479-666X
2405-5840
DOI:10.1016/j.surge.2021.09.007