What are the unintended patient safety consequences of healthcare technologies? A qualitative study among patients, carers and healthcare providers.
Abdelaziz S, Garfield S, Neves AL, et al. What are the unintended patient safety consequences of healthcare technologies? A qualitative study among patients, carers and healthcare providers. BMJ Open. 2024;14(11):e089026. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-089026.
While advanced technologies improve patient safety in many ways, there are often unintended consequences. When patients, carers, and healthcare providers describe potential patient safety consequences of technology in health care, five themes emerge: inequity of access, increased end-user burden, loss of the human element of health care, over-reliance on technology, and unclear responsibilities. A novel finding was the potential "gaming" of technology wherein a patient enters falsified data to suggest a worsening condition and get an earlier appointment, possibly delaying treatment for another patient.