Connected implants also called as smart devices are reported to be super vulnerable to cyber attacks say experts from Nuffield Council on Bioethics. As current rules do not authenticate the sale of medical implants only if they are cyber safe, experts insist on outlining new laws for the manufactures in order to receive sales approval.
Here smart devices mean pacemakers and implantable defibrillators which help in monitoring the functioning of vital organs in a human body. As these devices often store, process and transmit data from implants on patients to data centers of doctors, experts say that they need to receive software updates in order to stay safe and secure in the current cyber landscape.
Nuffield Council on Bioethics says that so far it has received over 700 complaints on smart devices being hacked and taken control. This includes insulin pumps and cardiac defibrillators.
As connected devices help in improving patient care by assisting doctors in gathering health data, they are also super vulnerable to cyber attacks from hackers raising privacy concerns.
So, manufacturers who are into the field of producing medical implants should offer the devices with utmost security measures in order to win trust from users and doctors.
The healthcare’s independent regulatory body’s briefing also emphasizes on the need for manufacturers to take care about the safety of their devices and to cut down challenges and other implications raised due to the long-term presence of the devices in the body.
UK Government has raised extreme concerns and review on the safety of medical devices in Feb last year including Vagi$#l mesh. Pretty soon, the government of Britain in association with the European Union will be making it mandatory for manufacturers to register all their devices to a central database to make things easy for tracking those devices.
“Medical devices greatly improve a person’s life and even help in saving lives. But their invasive nature can lead to new challenges”, said Hugh Whittall, Director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.
A spokesperson from Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency(MHRA) said that patient safety was the highest priority and all necessary action will be taken to protect public health.
