[NPInfo] Fwd: Public Service ~Devices~

[nursinglaw at aol.com]

Thought this might be of interest to clinicians.


Winifred Carson-Smith, Esq.
CarsonCompany, LLC
www.CarsonCo.net 
nursinglaw at aol.com
202-232-5193
202-232-5194(fax)


-----Original Message-----
From: ed.bertolas at ebertolasinc.com
To: nursinglaw at aol.com
Sent: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:10 am
Subject: Public Service ~Devices~




Advice for Patients: Change in Daylight Saving Time May Affect Your Medical 
Equipment in an Unpredictable Way 
March 1, 2007 

If you have any medical equipment that uses, creates or records time information 
about your diagnosis or treatment and the manufacturer has not updated it, the 
equipment may not work properly when the new Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts 
and ends this year and in future years. 

Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. starts three weeks earlier and ends one week 
later this year, compared to the last several years. Medical equipment you use 
was likely made before the DST rules were recently changed and so your equipment 
may use the wrong dates for the start and end of daylight saving time. 

If you experience a problem, it's most likely to occur on the following dates: 

March 11 (New date for start of DST) 
April 1 (Old date for start of DST) 
October 28 (Old date for end of DST) 
November 4 (New date for end of DST) 
The extent and seriousness of this problem is unclear. We do not know if any 
medical equipment will be affected, how it will be affected, or how it may 
affect patients. Although we don't know what specific equipment may fail to work 
correctly, we are concerned about equipment that consumers or patients use in 
their homes. We have already notified doctors, nurses, and hospitals of our 
concerns with a Preliminary Public Health Notification. 

What you need to do

If you are a patient or caregiver, look at your medical equipment and its 
instructions to see whether it uses or displays time. 
If so, contact the manufacturer of the equipment and find out if it needs any 
software or other patch or fix so it will continue to operate correctly when 
daylight saving time becomes effective on March 11, 2007. 
If you cannot determine who the manufacturer of your medical equipment is or 
can't contact them, notify your doctor before March 11, 2007, to find out if 
it's safe to continue using your medical equipment. 
Check your medical equipment after 2:00 AM on March 11, 2007 to make sure it 
displays the correct time before you rely on it. If your medical equipment 
displays or uses the incorrect time, tell the manufacturer about your equipment 
and ask your doctor before you use it. 
When you use your medical equipment after 2:00 AM on April 1, 2007, which was 
the old scheduled date, make sure it displays the correct time before you rely 
on the equipment. If your medical equipment displays or uses the incorrect time, 
tell the manufacturer about your equipment and ask your doctor before you use 
it. 
Remember to check the time your equipment is displaying on October 28, 2007, and 
on November 4, 2007, to assure that it's correct. 
Updated March 29, 2007

Best, 

ed

Ed Bertolas
Ed Bertolas Associates Inc
www.ebertolasinc.com