Prion infection on the rise? Hospitals in need of modern risk management
From the insurance industry's point of view, liability insurance for hospitals is already problematic. Despite what were, in some cases, sharp premium increases, this line of business continues operating at loss in all the major European countries. Some insurers have, therefore, pulled out of the market.
To add to this backdrop, a new risk has emerged: the possible infection with the new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of BSE. If a patient knowingly or unknowingly infected with vCJD undergoes surgery, infectious prions may remain on the surgical instruments used. And because normal methods of disinfection do not completely remove prions, the disease may be transferred when the instruments are used in other operations.
This clearly indicates that in future hospitals will inevitably have to improve their safety practices and introduce comprehensive risk management methods. If they fail to do so, the very insurability of hospitals will be called into question.
