The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) has issued a bulletin highlighting the common challenges and mitigation strategies in remotely managing connected medical devices, recommending the industry adopt a proactive stance.
Otherwise known as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, connected devices in healthcare include ultrasound machines, infusion pumps, and remote patient monitoring (RPM) tools such as wearable patches for monitoring patient vitals.
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AdvaMed’s bulletin highlights frequent remote device operation challenges experienced in the sector. This includes cloud deployments that may introduce latency and integration issues due to shared resources and datacentre distance, security updates that can result in misaligned peripherals, and software compatibility issues such as outdated drivers, mismatched operating systems, and firmware discrepancies.
Infusion pumps are one of the most common IoT devices deployed in hospitals, and AdvaMed’s guidance broadly resonates with recent challenges related to software issues for devices in this segment.
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tagged the recall of software used in Becton, Dickinson and Company’s (BD) infusion pumps as Class I. Relating to the BD Alaris Systems Manager and BD Care Coordination Engine Infusion Adapter, the recall was initiated due to customer reports of a software issue that resulted in delayed system responses and backlogging of automated programming requests (APRs), which meant the Alaris computer may receive outdated APRs, leading to patients receiving inaccurate therapy.
The trade association emphasises that consistent operational and technical approaches to potential challenges are critical for bringing efficiency and supporting patient safety, and that collaboration between device manufacturers, service vendors, and IT teams is key.
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By GlobalDataMichelle Gruber, product marketing specialist for digital & automation services at Siemens Healthineers, North America, and chair of the AdvaMed imaging remote device task force, commented: “Remote operations of medical devices offer a substantial opportunity to improve health care quality and access, but success depends on anticipating and managing the barriers that can come with connected systems.”
Often connected to allow for software updates or to patch and remediate device issues remotely, research indicates that the rising volume of IoT devices makes them an attractive targets for cyberattacks, which may result in unauthorised access to sensitive patient data, device manipulation, and healthcare service interruption.
A 2022 report by security firm Cynerio revealed that 53% of connected medical and IoT devices across 300 US hospitals surveyed, had at least one unaddressed critical vulnerability that could be exploited by malicious actors.
