Does the Computerization of Healthcare Records Lead to Less Harmful Incidents?—The Current Movement in Japan—

Abstract

 In Japan, the computerization of healthcare process has been developed for the past 30 years.
 Toward 503 hospitals evaluated by Japan Council Health Care (JCHC), the questionnaire survey was conducted and analyzed according to the classification of 3 groups such as under 200 beds, form 201 to 400 beds, and over 401 beds, as well as 2 groups of pre–2005 and post–2006 system introduction. As the result, it was found that despite with the annual improvement in the e–healthcare chart system function, i.e. a medical process from a physician's ordering to its confirmation by nurse, the ability of information system and its users' operation were insufficient with concern of medical accidents. Consequently, for the aim of higher accuracy of e–healthcare chart and safety medical practice, it is essential to foster system vender-based engineer familiar with medical field and system management staff of hospitals with technological knowledge. Our proposal is that cross-hospital networking should be built in order to improve the availability of user interface along medical process and to develop the standard master.