The Leapfrog Group's recent report on CPOEs stresses the importance of proper testing and monitoring of health IT to avoid potential risk and harm to patients. The report focused on CPOE adoption, it also looked at the efficacy of CPOE systems. While the report was on CPOEs, its findings are relevant for EHR adoption.
The Leapfrog Group's recent report on CPOEs stresses the importance of proper testing and monitoring of health IT to avoid potential risk and harm to patients. The report focused on CPOE adoption, it also looked at the efficacy of CPOE systems. While the report was on CPOEs, its findings are relevant for EHR adoption.
The Leapfrog Group's recent report on CPOEs stresses the importance of proper testing and monitoring of health IT to avoid potential risk and harm to patients. The report focused on CPOE adoption, it also looked at the efficacy of CPOE systems. While the report was on CPOEs, its findings are relevant for EHR adoption.
For one, in order to achieve adoption healthcare organizations need to plan carefully for implementation. That includes not rushing through simply getting the system up and running. It means making sure that the vendor has tested the system to work through any bugs. Once the system is set up, healthcare organizations need to ensure that all users of the system are properly trained. But that's not all. Both vendor and healthcare organization need to monitor the system not just for adoption rates but for any malfunction, especially with regard to patient safety.
In the mad dash to get EHRs live and start trying to meet meaningful use criteria, these important steps may be rushed through. Resist the temptation to skimp or cut corners. Think patient safety first. It's one of the main reasons to implement health IT in the first place.
Photo by sylvar obtained via Creative Commons license.
