Link: IOM Consensus Report: Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care
On November 8, 2011 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the above Consensus Report on Health IT and Patient Safety. In their Press release was a Figure entitled "Figure: Sociotechnical System Underlying Health IT–Related Adverse Events." The graphic above identifies a circle of influence as people, processes, and platform. They were contained in the news release figure, but with 2 very important additional components: External Environment and the Organization. These 2 additions highlight the influence of the organization and environment in which people work that can impact the quality of Health IT.
This IOM report says, "When designed and used appropriately, health IT is expected to help improve the performance of health professionals, reduce operational and administrative costs, and enhance patient safety." Clinicians are rapidly climbing the curve to meet meaningful use criteria and its promise of better care, but at what costs?
Electronic health records can provide information to make better informed decisions and has been the center of recent attention. To ensure this goal is met, DHHS asked the IOM to "evaluate health IT safety concerns and to recommend ways that both government and the private sector can make patient care safer using health IT."
A key issue regarding use of technology by clinicians is that it will require a culture change paradigm wherein clinicians (and patients) adapt their interactions to capture, collect, and analyze patient data now stored in electronic records. This culture change (some may say Culture Shock) can be a significant barrier to effective use of EHRs. It can be difficult to change established methods of providing care, yet clinicians may be required to do so with the implementation of electronic records and Health IT. So, a larger idea is to create a new culture of a learning environment for technology use in healthcare.
New and innovative technologies are being introduced at a rapid pace - a "disruptive innovation cycle." Authors such as Clayton Christensen in his book The Innovator's Prescription " (2009) describes A Disruptive Solution for Health Care, and Stephen Schimpff wrote about the Disruptive Changes Are Coming to the Delivery of Medical Care (2010). Consider eHealth and Telemedicine as examples of disruptive changes in healthcare.
It is important to consider how an EHR will impact the healthcare process. Also, and more importantly, if the technology and user interface is not clinically intuitive and easy to use, it can negatively impact collection and use of patient data in the record. There is suffient literature freely available that speaks to the multitude of problems encountered by clinicians using cumbersome technology in the provision of patient care.
...and what about basic hazards of Health IT in a clinical environment? How can we build a safer system for better care? The IOM Report may provide some solutions, it concludes with the following statement.
"To achieve better health care, a robust infrastructure that supports learning and improving the safety of health IT is essential. Proactive steps must be taken to ensure that health IT is developed and implemented with safety as a primary focus."
A new Facebook community claims that technology saves lives. I hesitate for a moment.. I wonder... what technology, used for what reason and by whom for what cause... too many specifics, vague on its claim, although diagnostic technologies have indeed saved lives when used appropriately for the right reasons.
Perhaps joining the discussion will provide insight.
Link: IOM Consensus Report: Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care
On November 8, 2011 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the above Consensus Report on Health IT and Patient Safety. In their Press release was a Figure entitled "Figure: Sociotechnical System Underlying Health IT–Related Adverse Events." The graphic above identifies a circle of influence as people, processes, and platform. They were contained in the news release figure, but with 2 very important additional components: External Environment and the Organization. These 2 additions highlight the influence of the organization and environment in which people work that can impact the quality of Health IT.
This IOM report says, "When designed and used appropriately, health IT is expected to help improve the performance of health professionals, reduce operational and administrative costs, and enhance patient safety." Clinicians are rapidly climbing the curve to meet meaningful use criteria and its promise of better care, but at what costs?
Electronic health records can provide information to make better informed decisions and has been the center of recent attention. To ensure this goal is met, DHHS asked the IOM to "evaluate health IT safety concerns and to recommend ways that both government and the private sector can make patient care safer using health IT."
A key issue regarding use of technology by clinicians is that it will require a culture change paradigm wherein clinicians (and patients) adapt their interactions to capture, collect, and analyze patient data now stored in electronic records. This culture change (some may say Culture Shock) can be a significant barrier to effective use of EHRs. It can be difficult to change established methods of providing care, yet clinicians may be required to do so with the implementation of electronic records and Health IT. So, a larger idea is to create a new culture of a learning environment for technology use in healthcare.
New and innovative technologies are being introduced at a rapid pace - a "disruptive innovation cycle." Authors such as Clayton Christensen in his book The Innovator's Prescription " (2009) describes A Disruptive Solution for Health Care, and Stephen Schimpff wrote about the Disruptive Changes Are Coming to the Delivery of Medical Care (2010). Consider eHealth and Telemedicine as examples of disruptive changes in healthcare.
It is important to consider how an EHR will impact the healthcare process. Also, and more importantly, if the technology and user interface is not clinically intuitive and easy to use, it can negatively impact collection and use of patient data in the record. There is suffient literature freely available that speaks to the multitude of problems encountered by clinicians using cumbersome technology in the provision of patient care.
...and what about basic hazards of Health IT in a clinical environment? How can we build a safer system for better care? The IOM Report may provide some solutions, it concludes with the following statement.
A new Facebook community claims that technology saves lives. I hesitate for a moment.. I wonder... what technology, used for what reason and by whom for what cause... too many specifics, vague on its claim, although diagnostic technologies have indeed saved lives when used appropriately for the right reasons.
Perhaps joining the discussion will provide insight.