This appeared last week:
Doctors’ union warns Queen Elizabeth Hospital patients ‘at risk’ from EPAS electronic health record system
Brad Crouch, Medical Reporter, The Advertiser
October 21, 2016 10:30pm
CRITICALLY ill patients are being placed in “dangerous environments” and there is a “high risk” clinicians are missing vital medical information following introduction of the controversial electronic health record system at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, doctors warn.
In a letter to SA Health interim chief executive Vickie Kaminski, obtained by The Advertiser, the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association warned workloads had risen since the Enterprise Patient Administration System was rolled out in June and registrars were taking double the time to do ward rounds.
However, Mrs Kaminski said the rollout had “significantly improved patient safety” with a marked reduction in medication errors thanks to the automatic safety net built into the EPAS.
SASMOA is demanding an urgent meeting to discuss their concerns, which also include claims members who complain are branded “technophobic”.
SA Health has agreed to a meeting in the next fortnight.
The QEH is the largest hospital to use the new system – which was designed to switch hospitals from paper to electronic records. EPAS is earmarked for the new RAH but the system is years behind schedule and the cost has doubled to $422 million, with predictions of more rises.
Use at Noarlunga, the Repatriation General and Port Augusta hospitals have all prompted staff complaints.
More here:
I wonder why it is that problems keep emerging with these implementations despite the number of years this has been going on and the depth of experience with the system that must now exist within the SA Health System.
Someone is not doing their job properly and making sure the roll out is being optimally managed one must begin to think – assuming, of course, that the software being implemented is up to scratch!
The persisting problems must also call that into question.
David.
The problems I see with nearly all these implementations are:
ReplyDeleteNo proper business analysis
No proper governance
Little to no training, with no commitment to ongoing training
No change management
The primary driver is to do it cheaply, and history shows that these sort of projects just cannot be done cheaply.
@October 31, 2016 8:33 AM
ReplyDeleteAll those things you itemised cost money. They detract from the profit margins of the vendors...