Peering Underneath the Iceberg's Water Level: AMNews on the New ECRI "Deep Dive" Study of Health IT "Events"

FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health director Jeffrey Shuren MD JD voiced the opinion a few years ago that what FDA knows about health IT risks is the "tip of the iceberg" due to systematic impediments to knowledge gathering and diffusion.   See links to source here and to the FDA Internal Memo on HIT risk - labeled "internal document not intended for public use" and unearthed by investigative reporter Fred Schulte several years ago - here (PDF).At my Feb. 9, 2013 post "A New ECRI Institute Study On Health Information Technology-Related Events" I opined that a new ECRI study was beginning to peer beneath the waterline of Jeff Shuren's iceberg tip, at what may reside underneath that waterline.  Iceberg tips, needless to say, are usually tiny compared to the iceberg's overall size. Reporter Kevin O'Reilly at AMNews (amednews.com) has now written about that ECRI report.The results of the report are concerning: Ways EHRs can lead to unintended safety problemsWrong records and failures in data transfer impede physicians and harm patients, according to an analysis of health technology incidents.By Kevin B. O'Reilly, amednews staff, posted Feb. 25, 2013.In spring 2012, a surgeon tried to electronically access a patient’s radiology study in the operating room but the computer would show only a blue screen. The patient’s time under anesthesia was extended while OR staff struggled to get the display to function properly.That is just one example of 17...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: healthcare IT risk AMNews Kevin O'Reilly jeffrey shuren Fred Schulte amednews.com ecri institute CDRH Source Type: blogs