An October 28 cyberattack on the University of Vermont Medical Center is just one example of widespread ransomware incidents that are deeply affecting healthcare facilities’ ability to treat cancer patients in particular, reports the New York Times.
They have had a devastating and long-lasting effect, particularly on cancer patients, said workers and patients from Vermont’s largest medical system. Its electronic medical record system was restored on Sunday, nearly a month after the cyberattack.
In the interim, clinicians were forced to send away hundreds of cancer patients, said Olivia Thompson, a nurse at the cancer center.
The staff fell back on written notes and faxes, leafing through masses of paper to access vital information. They tried to reconstruct complex chemotherapy protocols from memory.
Read more in the New York Times.
