This appeared last week.
"Risks not taken seriously enough": Scathing audit of WA Health’s digital patient record system reveals concerns
Lynne Minion
| 26 Sep 2018
WA
Health’s management of its electronic medical record system has received a
scathing appraisal by the state’s Auditor General, with data security
vulnerabilities, storage gluts and clinical staff manually working around the
digital system among the problems identified.
The
Information
Systems Audit Report 2018 assessed key business applications at five West
Australian government agencies, including the patient medical record system at
the Department of Health, and found management was to blame for a litany
issues.
“Common
weaknesses across all our information systems audits indicate agencies are not
taking risks to information systems seriously enough. Most of the issues raised
can be easily addressed and it appears that risks are simply not properly
understood. They are certainly not being effectively managed.”
The
report, which was designed to reveal information system weaknesses that could
seriously affect the operations of government and potentially compromise
sensitive information held by agencies, found numerous concerns with the
Department of Health’s management of the electronic medical record system,
which has been deployed to varying extents at Bunbury, Busselton, Royal Perth,
Fremantle and Fiona Stanley hospitals.
According
to the audit, WA Health’s delay in deciding whether to go digital state-wide is
part of the problem.
“A
lack of strategic direction and operational oversight has impacted the efficient
and effective implementation of the Application. The DoH is yet to decide if
all medical health records will be digitised across Western Australia as they
are still in the process of developing a digital strategy. As a result,
decisions regarding the Application’s design and deployment are made at
individual hospitals without consideration of whole of Health needs.”
The
audit report also claims the DoH has taken a hands-off management approach to
the project, which was awarded in 2013, including its cost.
Lots more detail here:
So WA was still deciding if it
should go digital! Jeez Louise!
I am amazed to say the least!
David.
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