Safer IT in a safer NHS: account of a partnership
Following a high-level assessment of patient-safety management in
England’s National Programme for IT, the National Patient Safety Agency and
NHS Connecting for Health have been working together to start minimising ICT-related
hazards in the NHS. Dr Maureen Baker, Ian Harrison and Professor
Sir Muir Gray, who are leading the execution of this new initiative,
describe its aims, achievements and plans.
ABSTRACT
The use of ICT in healthcare has considerable potential to support
clinicians in practising more safely, but also has the potential to affect
patient care adversely if there are faults in the systems or if
implementation is flawed. This article describes the partnership between NHS
Connecting for Health, the agency delivering the National Programme for IT
in the NHS in England, and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in
working for safer systems for the NHS and safer care for patients.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23(7): 11–14
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