Health IT Impact on Patient Safety

Health IT Impact on Patient Safety

Journal of Healthcare Quality 15(1)

The values of utilizing HIT has also introduced new avenues for errors. In 2016, ECRI’s Top 10 Technology Hazards discussed errors that arise when HIT configuration and hospital facility workflow do not support each other. Interoperability of a HIT system is always a major concern as multiple systems are integrated and interconnected to exchange patient’s health information with one another. Design-caused interoperable errors or limitations should be recognized.

A comprehensive process to actively monitor and proactively identify potential risks in the adopters’ current HIT systems can be achieved by adopting the Socio-Technical model. Event reports on incidents related to HIT are also an important source of risk information. The eight dimensions of the model must be addressed during all phases of HIT adoption. The trends on incidents related to HIT are continuous in tandem with the HIT growth rate. This warrants adopters to thoroughly design and plan the system, develop a robust implementation strategy, and create a mandatory monitoring program to ensure potential risks are mitigated consistently.

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