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

摘要

Public and private organizations are investing increasing amounts into the development of\udhealthcare information technology. These applications are perceived to offer numerous benefits.\udSoftware systems can improve the exchange of information between healthcare facilities. They\udsupport standardised procedures that can help to increase consistency between different service\udproviders. Electronic patient records ensure minimum standards across the trajectory of care when\udpatients move between different specializations. Healthcare information systems also offer economic\udbenefits through efficiency savings; for example by providing the data that helps to identify potential\udbottlenecks in the provision and administration of care. However, a number of high-profile failures\udreveal the problems that arise when staff must cope with the loss of these applications. In particular,\udteams have to retrieve paper based records that often lack the detail on electronic systems.\udIndividuals who have only used electronic information systems face particular problems in learning\udhow to apply paper-based fallbacks. The following pages compare two different failures of\udHealthcare Information Systems in the UK and North America. The intention is to ensure that future\udinitiatives to extend the integration of electronic patient records will build on the ‘lessons learned’\udfrom previous systems.