Critical Errors to Avoid in Healthcare IT

A successful IT implementation considers the broader impact it will make on healthcare processes.

The sudden need to pivot to new ways to deliver care spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness of the critical importance of digitising healthcare processes. The sweeping changes that began in 2020 continue today, with healthcare professionals recognising they must continue embracing new ways of handling information and delivering services to their patients.

Technology solutions providers can find growth opportunities. In Germany alone, by 2030, an estimated six million people aged 80 and older will put added pressure on a strained healthcare system. Additionally, approximately 500,000 fewer nurses and 7,000 fewer doctors will be working in healthcare. Most countries in Europe are facing similar challenges – along with rising costs. Thought leaders in the European University Hospital Alliance and international representatives met in February 2023 to discuss potential solutions. They recognised healthcare IT as having the potential to revolutionise how medical services are delivered and aid in meeting these challenges.

There are, however, several missteps to avoid when implementing them. Technology solutions providers can help healthcare organisations stay on track with successful implementations in these ways.

Addressing Human Errors that Lead to Data Breaches

According to Statista, healthcare was the seventh most targeted industry for cyberattacks worldwide in 2022. Additionally, a study by IBM revealed that the average cost for healthcare organisations worldwide is USD 10.10 million per breach.

As in medicine, the best treatment for data breaches is prevention. Offer your clients services to update and patch software, operating systems and firmware, as outdated equipment and software make a system more vulnerable to attack. Also, put the right technology in place to control access to systems and monitor them for signs they’ve been hacked.

The mistake, however, is allowing your healthcare clients to put all their faith in technology. Instead, employees must be trained on cybersecurity best practices and how to recognise an attack so they don’t fall prey to the latest phishing or other social engineering schemes.

Consider All Types of Privacy Breaches

By their very nature, medical records contain highly personal information, which must remain private, both ethically and in compliance with regulations. However, protected health information can become exposed if solutions that involve third-party providers aren’t properly configured.

Ensure the solutions you provide don’t make patient information available to any unauthorised user – including employees at your own company. Robust access control and encryption are critical components in keeping private data private.

Prevent Alert Fatigue

A mobile solution that keeps practitioners in constant contact with care teams is critical when seconds count. However, some solutions don’t prioritise alerts, which can lead to staff ignoring them. Vet solutions for their ability to prioritise alerts and let staff know when a call is urgent versus others that can wait.

Focus on Improving Workflows

In a busy healthcare setting, valuable solutions will be those that streamline workflows, not add steps to them. Devices should be easy to carry, simple to sanitise, and comfortable to use. Mobile workstations can help staff take all necessary devices to patients’ bedsides. Additionally, software should automate processes, eliminating the need to re-enter or upload data.

If staff can’t build technology into workflows seamlessly, it can take time away from patient care. Or, staff may choose not to use it, which can risk patient safety and data integrity.

Provide Guidance with Machine Learning

Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) can provide numerous benefits in healthcare settings. For example, these tools can help providers analyse vast amounts of data in a fraction of the time a human could and aid when physicians review images or when a new nurse needs to look up hospital policies quickly.

However, remind your clients to approach ML and AI implementations with causes, ensuring that the use case won’t be impacted by unintentional bias in the model or lack of transparency in how the model generates outputs. With well-being at risk, smart solutions should always have a person in the loop to ensure decisions are accurate and in the patient’s best interest.

Deleting Silos

It’s beneficial for all healthcare team members, from the pharmacist to the nurse to the doctor and the physical therapist, to have easy access to the same clinical information on each patient. In reality, however, that is not necessarily the case. For example, a study of European hospitals revealed that only 20 percent of healthcare providers utilise electronic prescription systems that are fully integrated with their systems. When doctors are forced to search among various data silos, the risks of errors and adverse events increase. Collaboration and communication among IT professionals, vendors and healthcare providers it critical to solving this challenge.

First, Do No Harm

Although you need to ensure that any IT implementation delivers value and solves your clients’ pain points, it’s even more critical in healthcare implementations. Provide all the benefits while being careful not to create a downside when implementing systems for your clients.