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23
May, 2013
Thursday

Some unintended consequences of information technology in health care: the nature of patient care information system-related errors

Abstract

Medical error reduction is an international issue, as is the implementation of patient care information systems (PCISs) as a potential means to achieving it. As researchers conducting separate studies in the United States, The Netherlands, and Australia, using similar qualitative methods to investigate implementing PCISs, the authors have encountered many instances in which PCIS applications seem to foster errors rather than reduce their likelihood. The authors describe the kinds of silent errors they have witnessed and, from their different social science perspectives (information science, sociology, and cognitive science), they interpret the nature of these errors. The errors fall into two main categories: those in the process of entering and retrieving information, and those in the communication and coordination process that the PCIS is supposed to support. The authors believe that with a heightened awareness of these issues, informaticians can educate, design systems, implement, and conduct research in such a way that they might be able to avoid the unintended consequences of these subtle silent errors.

Ash, Joan S., Marc Berg, and Enrico Coiera. “Some unintended consequences of information technology in health care: the nature of patient care information system-related errors.” J Am Med Inform Assoc 11, no. 2 (April 2004): 104-112.  

22 March 2010

Bibliographic Data

Title:

Some unintended consequences of information technology in health care: the nature of patient care information system-related errors

Author(s):

Ash, Joan S.; Berg, Marc; Coiera, Enrico

Journal

J Am Med Inform Assoc, 11(2), pp. 104-112
(2003-11-21)

URL:

Full article

DOI:

10.1197/jamia.M1471

PMID:

14633936

Keyword(s):

Australia, Communication, Decision Support Systems, Information Storage and Retrieval, Information Systems, Medical Errors, Netherlands, Patient Care, Patient Care Management, United States, User-Computer Interface

Citation:

Ash, Joan S., Marc Berg, and Enrico Coiera. “Some unintended consequences of information technology in health care: the nature of patient care information system-related errors.” J Am Med Inform Assoc 11, no. 2 (April 2004): 104-112.  

Other Publications

In ICMCC Database

All J Am Med Inform Assoc articles (207).

Other article(s) by

Joan S. Ash (11).

Marc Berg (6).

Enrico Coiera (5).

Discussion




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Miscellaneous

Affiliated University Institutes

Erasmus University, Netherlands

Oregon Health and Science University, USA

University of New South Wales, Australia

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Joan S. Ash
Marc Berg
Enrico Coiera

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Joan S. Ash
Marc Berg
Enrico Coiera

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