Unintended Consequences

There are unintended clinical consequences of HCIT which results in e-iatrogenesis but there are also non-clinical impacts.

Here are some of interest (humor?).

These are from Dalai's PACS blog under the post "Paranoid IT-diocy" that relate two consequences of strict IT security policies.

This morning, I was working with an orthopedic surgeon at the big ortho clinic. He was using his personal digital camera to take a picture of films that were up on a light box. He said it was the only way he could get images to put in a presentation. How sad is that?

It seems that our hospital is going to implement a system whereby we are to be telephoned for a confirmation (requiring us to answer and press the # key) before we can sign on to the system from a location outside the hospital. I kid you not.

Dr. Dalai comments "What we see in these two situations is a trend of what I can only call paranoia, and maybe even tyranny. IT is so consumed in its own importance and the obsession with even the remotest possibility of a breach or infection, that they will implement such foolish and draconian measures as I have outline above."

And we wonder why there are workarounds?

Physicians Practice in Four Areas Where Your EHR Could Hurt an Audit describes how the semantics (word choices) of an EHR may conflict with expected billing terminology.

SINSKY C, COLLIGAN L, LI L, PRGOMET M, REYNOLDS S, GOEDERS L, WESTBROOK J, TUTTY M and BLIKE G (2016) Allocation of physician time in ambulatory practice: A time and motion study in 4 specialties. Annals of Internal Medicine N/A(N/A), N/A-N/A.