The National Quality Forum wrote recommendations for organizations to establish better health IT guidelines, according to Health IT Analytics.
Here are five things to know:
1. Even though HIT holds promise in enhancing patient safety, it could also lead to more errors. Patient matching issues and technological complications can result in serious consequences.
2. NQF outlined the nature, scope and prevalence of HIT safety issues, so providers can proactively prevent them.
3. NQF's HIT Safety Committee recommends providers accomplish the following goals:
• Providers and patients both understand safe practices of HIT
• HIT is used to deliver safe care
• HIT is used to enhance processes so safer and more effective care is delivered
4. The recommendations touch on the following topics:
• Clinical decision support
• System interoperability
• Patient identification
• User-centered design
• System downtime and data availability
• Feedback and information sharing
• Health IT for timely documentation
• Patient engagement
• Health IT risk management
5. The committee concluded improving patient safety will be a process, and will require a cultural shift in the healthcare industry.
