The number of cyberattacks and information system breaches in healthcare has grown steadily, escalating from isolated incidents to widespread targeted and malicious attacks. In 2022, 707 data breeches occurred, exposing more than 51.9 million patient records, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). To help healthcare organizations address this growing patient safety concern, The Joint Commission has issued a new sentinel event alert, “Preserving patient safety after a cyberattack.” The alert focuses on risks associated with cyberattacks and provides recommendations on how healthcare organizations can prepare to deliver safe patient care in the event of a cyberattack.
The alert stresses that preparing for a cyberattack should not only concern hospital IT staff, but instead all hospital staff. Every staff member must prepare to operate during a cyber emergency.
• https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/tjc/newsletters/sea-67-cybersecurity-7-26-23-final.pdf