Responding to health information technology reported safety events: insights from patient safety event reports.
Incident reporting can shed light on safety concerns. In this study, investigators queried a database that receives reports from 575 facilities to identify reports related to health information technology (IT). They examined reports to determine whether the events were resolved at all, and whether the resolution included policy or health IT redesign approaches. Nearly two-thirds of events remained unresolved. Of those that were resolved, the most common approach was additional education or training. The authors conclude that risks associated with health IT persist and further research is needed to understand how these events are resolved. A past PSNet perspective discussed health IT usability design, including both progress and remaining challenges in the field.