ArticleEJIFCC2026
Clinicians' Perspectives on the Impact of a Ransomware Attack on a Chemical Pathology Laboratory at a Tertiary Hospital in South Africa.
Article in EJIFCC, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Unveiling Patient-Level Harms and At-Risk Clinical Groups During Hospital Cyberattacks: Systematic Review of Global Case Studies and Social Media Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to explore clinicians' experiences during a ransomware attack at a public academic hospital in South Africa and assess the perceived impact of chemical pathology laboratory service disruptions on patient care. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between September and December 2024. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to clinicians to gather data on their experiences during the ransomware attack, including impacts on patient care and workload. To assess changes in test requesting practices during this period, volume data for both critical (creatinine) and non-critical (vitamin B12) tests from routine annual laboratory reports were analysed. Results: Among the 58 respondents, 84% reported increased stress levels, while 78% indicated delayed diagnoses during this period. Laboratory test volumes decreased during the attack period compared to previous years, with reductions of 26.8% for creatinine and 34.1% for vitamin B12 tests. Clinicians primarily struggled with result retrieval and reported substantial disruptions to patient care. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into clinicians' perspectives on the impact of a laboratory ransomware attack. The findings highlight the critical need for investment in both cybersecurity infrastructure and comprehensive contingency planning to safeguard patient safety and minimise disruptions during future cyber incidents. Key Points: This study addresses how ransomware attacks disrupt and impact clinician workflow in resource-limited hospital settings. Medical professionals should develop practical contingency plans for accessing and managing essential laboratory data during cybersecurity incidents to minimise care disruptions. The most significant finding was the dual impact of technical service disruption alongside pronounced clinician psychological stress, creating a compounded effect on healthcare delivery.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42006506PMC13088463What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.