Identifying common problems in the acquisition and deployment of large-scale software projects in the US and UK healthcare systems

Johnson, C.W. (2011) Identifying common problems in the acquisition and deployment of large-scale software projects in the US and UK healthcare systems. Safety Science, 49(5), pp. 735-745. (doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2010.12.003)

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Abstract

Public and private organizations are investing increasing amounts into the development of healthcare information technology. These applications 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 increase consistency between different service providers. Electronic patient records ensure minimum standards across the trajectory of care when patients move between different specializations. Healthcare information systems also offer economic benefits through efficiency savings; for example by providing the data that helps to identify potential 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 particular, teams have to retrieve paper based records that often lack the detail on electronic systems. Individuals who have only used electronic information 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.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Johnson, Professor Chris
Authors: Johnson, C.W.
Subjects:T Technology > T Technology (General)
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
Journal Name:Safety Science
Publisher:Elsevier Science BV
ISSN:0925-7535
Published Online:20 January 2011
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2011 Elsevier
First Published:First published in Safety Science 49 (5) : 735-745
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

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