Unintended Consequences of Informatics Initiatives
by Val Cartmel, RN, BSN
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ABSTRACT
Unintended consequences – what you get is not always what you expected when new technology is introduced. Implementation of new information technology initiatives changes the usual or expected workflow on a hospital patient care unit and many expected improvements to patient care and patient safety result in both good and unforeseen changes or unintended consequences. This presentation described results of a number of initiatives at Vancouver Coastal Health while introducing a new Patient Care Information System (PCIS), automated medication dispensing system, and wireless phone technology linked to the nurse call system. Action research methodology was undertaken during the study. Through careful analysis of the data collected during these projects we hope to raise awareness and mitigate any subsequent processes that could result in increased risks to patient safety.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Val Cartmel, RN, BSN.
Val is the Regional Leader, Clinical Informatics for Vancouver Coastal Health. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BScN in 1975 and is currently enrolled at Royal Roads University in the Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training (MALT - Health) program. Val has been actively involved in the Nursing Informatics world since the early 1980’s at the provincial and national level as a founding member of the former BC Nursing Informatics group, COACH Nursing Informatics, and more recently CNIA.
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