Medical connectivity in hospitals is a very serious topic. It has caused more than a few problems and has gotten the attention of FDA and the healthcare industry. A recent article in The Boston Globe highlighted the severity of the problem, describing the lack of connectivity between devices in an operating room. Of course, it is natural to compare this technology lag to the hyperconnectivity of consumer products.

"It is really unacceptable, and it's one of the reasons we're unable to make dramatic improvements in patient safety," Julian Goldman, a Massachusetts General Hospital anesthesiologist, told the newspaper. Goldman is a proponent of a new generation of medical devices that talk to each other.

Perhaps a new standard will help push the industry in this direction. An article in this issue focuses on medical connectivity and a new IEC standard that can help medical manufacturers, hospitals, and network providers work together to improve patient safety.

Interconnected devices such as patient monitors, infusion pumps, central stations, and alarm systems in hospitals are at the heart of the problem. The article looks at some of the threats, including the use of medical devices on an enterprise network and the combined use of regulated devices to create systems of systems.

FDA’s Brian Fitzgerald is optimistic that the standard will be accepted by mid- to late 2010. But whether it’s a standard or the development of iPod-like medical devices, the times are changing, and patients expect more than ever from their healthcare experience.

Sherrie Conroy
sherrie.conroy@cancom.com