Case Studies in the Failure of Healthcare Informati on Systems

Public and private organizations are investing incr easing amounts into the development of healthcare information technology. These applicati ons are perceived to offer numerous benefits. Software systems can improve the exchange of information between healthcare facilities. They support standardised procedures that can help to in crease consistency between different service providers. Electronic patient records ensure minim um standards across the trajectory of care when patients move between different specializations. H ealthcare information systems also offer economic benefits through efficiency savings; for example by providing the data that helps to identify potentia l bottlenecks in the provision and administration of care. However, a number of high-profile failures reveal the problems that arise when staff must cope with the loss of these applications. In particula r, teams have to retrieve paper based records that oft en lack the detail on electronic systems. Individuals who have only used electronic informati on systems face particular problems in learning how to apply paper-based fallbacks. The following pages compare two different failures of Healthcare Information Systems in the UK and North America. The intention is to ensure that future initiatives to extend the integration of electronic patient records will build on the 'lessons learned ' from previous systems.