Back in Telluride and seeing the Lewis Blackman video, I am humbled by the strength and grace of Helen Haskell. This emotionally powerful story reminds me of why I wanted to become a doctor and my ethical obligation to patients. The risk and reality is that we function in a system that is task oriented and time limited causing us to lose sight of the person we seek to help. Together, the attendees, alums, and faculty of AELPS will help to change the culture of medicine.
The presentation by David Classen was powerful and disturbing. It is a story of how well-intentioned, highly motivated health professionals might harm a patient due to assumptions, biases, and trust in their IT systems. Despite the brilliant creators of systems, David reveals the absence of unifying goals and standards in big businesses that resist oversight (such as seen in aviation) in order to protect profits and image. Our EHR world is improving the quality and safety of healthcare, but it is not without risk. Such risks are sometimes opaque to physicians, nurses, and patients. Some risks are clear, e.g. pop-up fatigue. We need to be vigilant when upgrades occur in our systems that assumptions of safety are maintained.