Affected person security have to be central to the design, growth, and rollout of digital affected person file (EPR) techniques, a report from Affected person Security Studying has acknowledged.
The report, printed on 31 July 2024, makes the case that affected person security can, and should, be firmly on the coronary heart of the design, growth and rollout of EPRs. It units out the affected person security dangers related to selecting and introducing new EPR techniques.
Affected person Security Studying highlights some examples from the NHS of EPR difficulties, together with at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Basis Belief and Royal Surrey NHS Basis Belief.
“Preliminary studies in August 2022 highlighted the impression of implementing a brand new EPR system, Surrey Protected Care, at Ashford and St Peter’s. Experiences to the Belief’s Board raised considerations in regards to the danger of delays within the venture inflicting hurt to most cancers sufferers,” the report states.
“Simply over a yr later, additional considerations have been raised in regards to the implementation of this EPR at one other belief, Royal Surrey. A board paper acknowledged that there had been 927 security studies associated to the introduction of the system.
“This included one case the place a affected person died and 30 others the place they suffered hurt. Subsequently, considerations about ranges of employees coaching on the EPR system previous to its introduction at each trusts have been highlighted.”
The report additionally mentions the BBC investigation which outlined considerations about deaths and critical instances of hurt related to EPR system failures. Responses to a freedom of data request despatched by BBC Information to acute trusts in England discovered 126 cases of great hurt linked to IT points throughout 31 trusts, together with three affected person deaths.
On account of these cases of great affected person hurt, Affected person Security Studying believes that “there must be a metamorphosis within the well being and care system’s strategy to affected person security”.
The report highlights how affected person security needs to be embedded in every stage of introducing EPR techniques:
Growth – Affected person security have to be on the coronary heart of the preliminary procurement, design, configuration, and growth of EPR techniques, with a concentrate on interoperability, usability, and design for security.
Rollout – – As EPRs are launched into organisations, it’s critical that the suitable coaching and help is supplied to employees. There must be enough usability testing, time allowed for amendments being made to mirror essentially the most environment friendly and efficient processes, and a larger position for EPR producers in offering coaching and help to employees.
Implementation – As soon as an EPR is in place, monitoring how it’s working in apply and studying and appearing on any danger assessments, incidents, or close to misses that happen regarding this.
“In every of those phases there needs to be clear steps to contain and have interaction each sufferers and frontline employees as a part of this course of,” the report provides.
Commenting on the report, Affected person Security Studying chief govt Helen Hughes mentioned: “EPR techniques have vital potential to enhance affected person care and therapy.
“Nevertheless, we’re more and more seeing instances the place poor implementation of those new techniques leads to direct and oblique hurt to sufferers. If we’re to totally realise their advantages, affected person security have to be on the coronary heart of their design, growth, and rollout.
“To make sure the security of EPR techniques, it’s critical that affected person security incidents related to them are reported and acted upon. We want extra transparency in reporting and sharing information, of each errors and examples of fine apply.
“We hope that this report can kick off an knowledgeable and clear debate about these points, resulting in motion that helps the safer implementation of EPR techniques and reduces avoidable hurt.”
The difficulty of affected person security incidents regarding using on-line session instruments by GPs being underreported was highlighted in an investigation by the Well being Providers Security Investigations Physique (HSSIB).
The report concludes with ten ideas for secure EPR system implementation, which might be discovered on pages 20 and 21 of the report right here.