Warning: Health it may be hazardous to your healthcare

摘要

SOME IN THE healthcare industry feel electronic health record (EHR) systems are a miracle cure for what ails a US healthcare system plagued with bloated costs, an inability to communicate, and stunted growth in the use of advanced tools. There are still others who equate some of the promises of health IT to a pitch for snake oil. But regardless of whether one feels health IT is a wonder or a blunder, both sides agree-the treatment comes with side effects. Adverse patient events, mistakes in documentation, incompatibility with other systems, and IT malfunctions that endanger patients have all been seen after providers have implemented an EHR and other health IT systems.