Health information technologies: From hazardous to the dark side
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Published online on March 28, 2016
Abstract
This article explores the effects of health information technologies (HIT) in operating rooms (ORs). When functioning well, HIT are a boon to mankind. However, HIT in the OR also create hazards for patients for a number of interrelated reasons. We introduce 5 interrelated components of hazard situations for medical teams operating in the OR: complexity, overload/underload, inadequate individual training, inadequate training of medical teams, and overconfidence of surgeons. These components of hazard situations in the OR may negatively impact patient safety. We discuss implications, especially in terms of individuals and medical teams in the OR, as well as work substitution as a broader aspect of the potential dark side of health IT.