RM Global Health

March 2, 2007
FDA - MedWatch - Medical Device Safety - Change in Daylight Savings Time May Affect Medical Equipment in Unpredictable Ways
MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program
FDA notified healthcare professionals and consumers of the possibility that some medical devices/equipment, hospital networks and associated information technology systems may generate adverse events because of the upcoming change in the start and end dates for Daylight Savings Time (DST), and suggested actions to prevent such occurrences. Medical equipment that uses, creates or records time information about a patient's diagnosis or treatment and has not been updated by the manufacturer, may not work properly when the new DST starts three weeks earlier and ends one week later this year. Medical equipment currently in use was likely made before the DST rules were changed and may cause patient's equipment to register the wrong dates for the start and end of daylight savings time this year. Additionally, if a medical device or medical device network are adversely affected by the new DST date changes, a patient's treatment or diagnostic result could be:
-incorrectly prescribed
-provided at the wrong time
-missed
-given more than once
-given for longer or shorter durations than intended -incorrectly recorded
Healthcare professionals and consumers are encouraged to see the attached Preliminary Public Health Notification and Advice for Patients for recommendations on what to do if their medical equipment uses or displays time.
FDE ALERT