IT Integration and Patient Safety: The Case of a Software Tool

Information Technology (IT) in the healthcare system bring great benefits to patients and healthcare providers, and hospitals. However, IT systems have their own health safety risks for patients and possibly users. These risks need to be investigated. At North York General Hospital, Toronto, Canada, a software tool that measures the patients' risk of readmission has been implemented. In this paper we describe the software implementation decisions and analyze the data entry challenges. Our Analysis uncovered data entry errors that would impact patients' safety and well-being. Implementation strategies and integration of different eHealth solutions in a healthcare organization is still a challenge. There is a need to assess the risks eHealth solution have on patients' safety and to develop processes in the workplace that ensures that eHealth tools are assessed upon implementation.