Patient safety tops IT priorities in CIO poll
- 16 April 2007
Implementing information technology to reduce medical errors and promote patient safety remains the top priority for healthcare chief information officers (CIO) surveyed in a major US poll.
The 18th Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) survey of CIOs found that safety issues remained the respondents’ prime concern both for now and for the future. A total of 360 CIOs responded representing over 700 hospitals.
Asked what their top five IT priorities were today over half (54%) named reducing medication errors and improving patient safety. Close behind came priorities for replacing/upgrading clinical systems and implementing an electronic medical record (both 48%).
Rounding off the top five priorities were business continuity/disaster recovery (35%) and integrating systems in a multi-vendor environment (34%).
Upgrading systems to participate in regional health information organisations (RHIOs) – the federal government’s initiative to achieve more joined up healthcare information – was not high on the CIOs’ ‘to do’ list. Fewer than 10% listed this priority in their top five, though 25% said that their organisation participated in a RHIO.
When asked about future priorities, however, participation in RHIOs rose up the list with 23% of CIO listing it as one of their top priorities. Preventing medical errors and promoting patient safety still topped the list with top five ratings from 35% of respondents.
Other issues raised by respondents included lack of financial support for IT (20%) and security concerns – 18% indicated that their organisation had experienced a security breach in the past six months.
The survey brings bad news for suppliers. The 2006 poll recorded 78% of CIOs feeling satisfied or very satisfied with their vendors’ performance while this year the figures had dropped to just 60% feeling satisfied and no respondents saying they were very satisfied.
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