Y2k Essays (3187 words) - Cardiac Electrophysiology, Medical Devices

Y2k This year, most of the world is preparing to celebrate the year 2000 and the coming of a new millennium. However, many businesses, manufacturers, banks and hospitals are quietly hoping for an uneventful new year's transition. At midnight on December 31, many businesses will be anticipating what effects the millennium rollover will have on computer software and other equipment that contain a time sensitive chip called an embedded chip. Early computer programmers, in an effort to conserve limited memory space, programmed computers to read the year in only two digits. So computers read 15 as 1915, and 02 as 1902, and so on. Thus, when the year 2000 arrives, many computer programs might go from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 1900. Some computers will cease to function, or ?crash?. Needless to say, if these programs control functions such as electricity, airline travel, or communications, the results could be disastrous. Many companies and governments have spent countless hours and untold dollars making software Y2K (year 2 thousand) compatible. The consequences of not preparing for the Y2K problem could spell disaster for the company involved. For example, a small Midwestern manufacturer encountered a similar date-related problem in 1996 (a leap year) when the company did not realize that their entire computer network would be affected by the extra day in the year. When the year 1997 turned over, all systems shut down. This malfunction caused the liquid solutions being produced to freeze, causing them to destroy the pipelines they ran through. This disaster cost the company over $1 million in new equipment. The catastrophe caused massive delivery delays to their customers, and the company believes numerous customer accounts were lost as a result. This is just a small example of what could happen when computer software and related equipment is not tested for Y2K compatibility. Now, imagine the confusion and disaster that could result from a similar incident occurring in a hospital--where lives, not inventory, are at stake. ?Code Blue 2000? is the term used to describe the possible breakdown of the world's hospital software and related medical devices. Most hospital organizations have prepared themselves for any problems that might occur with their software and medical equipment. It is the organizations that ignore the potential problem that will most likely loose valuable patient information, and in extreme cases, have their ability to furnish adequate health care reduced. Major Hospital in Shelbyville, Indiana, has a team of computer scientists currently testing the hospital's computer system's software for Y2K compatibility. First, mock systems are tested to determine what will actually happen when the year changes. Then, obsolete software and equipment is replaced with Y2K compliant equipment. Major Hospital has spent over a half-million dollars on research of the Y2K problem. This research is extremely costly to an organization, but the alternative--ignoring the problem--could be catastrophic. This report will cover the numerous ways the Y2K problem could affect hospitals. The first and most important area that will be reviewed is the manner in which the Y2K problem could affect patients. The Y2K problem could adversely affect the biomedical devices some patients rely on for life-sustaining purposes. Then, the potential problems on the clerical side of hospital administration will be explored; focusing on patients' medical records and accounts. Finally, the possible adverse effects on utilities such as electricity, gas, and water will be discussed. A hospital is a place that a person should feel safe and secure. This report will describe the steps being taken by hospitals to ensure that their patients' peace of mind and sense of security is unaltered. The Y2K problem is a concern for hospitals worldwide for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most pressing concern are the biomedical devices, which contain computer software, that many patients rely on. Some critical biomedical devices are pacemakers, fetal monitors, Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines (MRI's), and heart defibrillators. One of the most important biomedical devices that could be affected by the Y2K problem is the pacemaker. A pacemaker is a biomedical, electronic device implanted in the wall of the heart designed to detect irregular heartbeats and provide regular, mild, electric shocks that restore normalcy to the heartbeat. The pacemaker then records the time an electric shock was administered; this information can then be downloaded to a computer system and analyzed by medical personnel. Cardiologists use this information to detect patterns and irregularities in the patient's heart rhythms. If the software were to record faulty times for the shock deliveries, the cardiologist could misinterpret the results and administer improper medical