Drop in ED Visits, Admissions Seen in Hospitals Targeted by Ransomware
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, May 30, 2024 -- In hospitals targeted by ransomware attacks, there are transient decreases in emergency department visits and inpatient admissions, according to a research letter published online May 29 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Rahi Abouk, Ph.D., from William Paterson University Cotsakos College of Business in Wayne, New Jersey, and David Powell, Ph.D., from RAND in Arlington, Virginia, examined disruptive ransomware attacks against hospitals in California from 2014 to 2020 and analyzed emergency department and inpatient admissions in attacked and nearby hospitals. Eight ransomware attacks that led to disruptions in 15 hospitals were identified; 355 hospitals were unattacked.
The researchers found that in the week before the attack, there were a mean of 740.90 emergency department visits and 182.25 inpatient admissions in attacked hospitals. Emergency department visits and inpatient admissions decreased by 8.10 and 8.16 percent in the week after the attack, increasing to 16.21 and 16.62 percent, respectively, in the second week. Within eight weeks, these decreases returned to preattack levels. Increases were observed in emergency department visits up to four weeks in nearby hospitals, reaching 7.10 percent in week 3. Inpatient admissions did not change significantly at nearby hospitals.
"This study found a temporary decrease in emergency department visits and inpatient admissions in hospitals targeted by ransomware attacks and a temporary increase in emergency department visits in unattacked nearby hospitals in California, suggesting that the consequences of such attacks are broader than the targeted hospitals," the authors write.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2024
Read this next
Declining Childhood Vaccination May Increase Risk for Vaccine-Preventable Infections
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Declining childhood vaccination rates may increase outbreaks of eliminated vaccine-preventable infections within the United States, leading to a...
AACR: Incidence-Based Mortality Dropping for Young Women With Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Incidence-based mortality (IBM) declined from 2010 to 2020 among women aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study presented...
AACR: Nonsurgical Treatment Feasible for Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumors
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- A neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade enables nonoperative management among patients with early-stage mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.