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Over 2,400 medical device manufacturers from around the world have signed up to use the Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN), the de facto global standard for identifying the world’s millions of medical devices, since April 2019.
The GMDN is now used by over 5,200 registered member organisations around the world, which is an increase of 86%, in just 5 months.
The surge in use follows its introduction of a new free membership on 1 April 2019, which has seen a huge uptake from manufacturers. This allows them access to the core data, while the existing membership charges remain for manufacturers needing the time-saving and value-added services provided by the GMDN Agency.
Read more: Over 2,400 medical device manufacturers sign up for GMDN
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New hospital building programme to ensure the NHS’s hospital estate supports the provision of world-class healthcare services for patients.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has launched the largest hospital building programme in a generation as part of a new Health Infrastructure Plan due to be published on Monday 30 September.
The plan’s new, strategic approach will ensure the health service will have world-class facilities for patients and staff for the long term.
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The chief executive of the NHS in England has called on all social media firms to crack down on potentially harmful material after two of the biggest sites confirm they plan to act on health service demands for action.
Facebook and Instagram have announced that they will remove posts promoting ‘miracle’ cures and get-slim-quick products, which are known to have limited benefits with possible damaging side-effects.
The move follows a series of requests from health service chiefs including NHS chief executive Simon Stevens to act responsibly and protect users from content that could cause physical or mental harm.
Read more: Social media sites act on NHS call for greater online protection
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The NHS has saved hundreds of people from sepsis thanks to better use of digital technology in hospitals. In a major nationwide push to tackle the condition, including a one hour identification and treatment ambition, new ‘alert and action’ technology is being introduced which uses algorithms to read patients’ vital signs and alert medics to worsening conditions that are a warning sign of sepsis.
Sepsis – also known as blood poisoning – is a life-threatening response to an infection in the body, where the immune system damages tissues and organs. Three leading hospitals are using alerts to help identify sepsis and tell doctors when patients with the serious condition are getting worse, ahead of the measures being rolled out across England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS leaders in Cambridge, Liverpool and Berkshire are now helping the rest of the health service to adopt tools to spot it, which costs 37,000 lives a year and is notoriously difficult to identify.
Read more: Hundreds of lives saved through new technology to spot sepsis
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More than 60% of personal data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) this year were caused by human error, with healthcare the most-affected sector.
Figures obtained by data security solutions firm Egress via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveal that 4,856 breaches were reported to the ICO between 1st January and 20th June 2019.
Of those incidents, nearly half (43%) was the result of incorrect disclosure – made up of 20% posting or faxing data to the incorrect recipient, 18% emailing information to incorrect recipients or failing to use Bcc, and 5% providing data in response to a phishing attack.
The remaining 17% was due to data or wrong data shown in a client portal, failure to redact, incorrect disposal of paperwork, loss/theft of paperwork left in insecure location or verbal disclosure of personal data.
Read more: Healthcare sector most affected by personal data breaches
