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IT solutions for patient safety--best practices for successful implementation in healthcare.
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Leatt, Peggy Shea, Chris Studer, Melanie Wang, Victoria Shao-Pin |
| Copyright Year | 2006 |
| Abstract | Recent reports in the United States and Canada have suggested that healthcare systems in both countries fall short in delivering high quality and safe patient care (Baker and Norton 2001; Institute of Medicine 1999, 2001). In addition to these reports, empirical studies have stressed the enormity of the problem of adverse events in hospitals in terms of frequency and severity (e.g., Evans et al. 1994; Budnitz et al. 2005; Classen et al. 2005). Investigators in the Harvard Medical Practice Study, for example, found that adverse events occurred in approximately 3.6% of hospitalizations in New York State (Brennan et al. 1991), the majority of which were due to drug complications (Leape et al. 1991). Such adverse events and errors have also been found to be preventable and significantly associated with longer hospital stays, disability and increased healthcare utilization and costs (Bates et al. 1997; Evans et al. 1993; Phillips, Christenfeld and Glynn 1998; Thomas et al. 1999; Classen et al. 2005). The United States incurs an estimated total (direct and indirect) cost of approximately $17 billion to $29 billion in preventable adverse events (Institute of Medicine 2001). Although some errors are attributable to poor performance by individual providers, the majority of preventable errors are a result of systemic and organizational deficiencies of healthcare delivery systems (Ball and Douglas 2002; Leape et al. 1998; Peth 2003). Prevention of errors requires systems that are designed with safety in mind – systems in which sources of error are systematically recognized and diminished (Bates et al. 1995b). General recommendations for reducing errors necessitate restructuring healthcare systems in a way that creates an environment conducive to the delivery of safe healthcare. Strategies for system redesign include changes to and standardization of clinical processes and procedures, improvements in communication and information sharing, as well as greater attention to systems that prevent and mitigate errors. To meet these objectives, healthcare providers are increasingly looking to information technology for assistance in gathering, interpreting and communicating clinical information and in applying the most current medical knowledge possible to the care of their patients (Haynes and Walker 1987). The use of information technologies and systems that standardize work processes are advocated widely to improve patient safety, reduce adverse events and prevent medication errors. Through the use of systems that standardize repetitive, timeconsuming and error-prone work processes, information technology has the potential to reduce avoidable errors and streamline management of care, thereby promoting effective and efficient delivery of patient care. Although a recent survey indicates that the overwhelming majority (92%) of US hospitals are committed to using IT for clinical purposes, implementation of these systems has not been as widespread as one might think. Many organizations are still in the discussion and planning stages (American Hospital Association 2005). In general, there is still much debate about the barriers to adoption and implementation of such systems and how to realize the full benefit of these systems (e.g., Health Affairs, 2005, Volume 24:5). Among the many interventions proposed to improve patient safety, three of the most frequently discussed are electronic medical records (EMR), computerized provider |
| Starting Page | 94 |
| Ending Page | 104 |
| Page Count | 11 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| PubMed reference number | 16548440 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 9 |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.longwoods.com/product/download/code/17928 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.longwoods.com/articles/images/HPCanada_EH_vol4_no3_Leatt.pdf |
| Journal | Healthcare quarterly |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
