First, Do No Harm

From: As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge
http://huffpostfund.org/stories/2010/04/doctors-shift-electronic-health-systems-signs-harm-emerge#ixzz0lrOrJ6Y1

PUBLISHED 9:22 PM | 20 Apr 2010
By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz
Huffington Post Investigative Fund

...phase in the systems gradually. Without greater attention to safety, several experts said in interviews, the stimulus plan might backfire, eventually discouraging their use, as risks and costs eclipse advertised benefits....

...federal officials aren’t doing enough to keep tabs on hundreds of tech companies aggressively marketing new versions of the complex software...

...These systems have lots of potential to improve safety but if they aren’t implemented correctly they might worsen safety

...Classen points to his recent research testing CPOE systems at 62 hospitals, which found that the systems caught medication errors only about half the time, including some that would have resulted in serious injuries and possible death. Systems from the same manufacturers performed better at some hospitals than others....

...automated warnings aren’t taken seriously. “They are a joke,” Koppel told the Investigative Fund. He blames manufacturers for producing systems that rely on what he called “not ready for prime time software.”...

...Blumenthal said that CPOE is critical to the success of the electronic health records initiative. “We need to support it and make sure it happens,” he said. “How fast and in what form remains to be seen.”...

Read more: http://huffpostfund.org/stories/2010/04/doctors-shift-electronic-health-systems-signs-harm-emerge#ixzz0lrOIb5a5