The Role of Technology in Reducing Medical Negligence

The Role of Technology in Reducing Medical Negligence elWgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==

The vast majority of medical procedures in the UK are successful. But, in a minority of cases, the patient ends up suffering harm – and in a minority of that subset, the harm is a result of medical negligence.

The doctors, nurses, and administrators who run our medical institutions are only human, and so from time to time, they make mistakes. Thus, some level of medical negligence is inevitable. No wonder, then, that NHS England faced a bill of more than £2 billion in 2020 – roughly quadruple the amount from 2006.

But what if we were to remove human beings from the equation, and replace them with machines? Could this reduce the likelihood of an error, and the cost of medical negligence for the NHS? Several technologies show promise.

The Integration of Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

Medicine is often a collaborative enterprise. A patient might find themselves passed from their GP to a consultant to a surgeon to a physio, via a string of nurses and pharmacists. All of these people need to be able to effectively communicate with one another about the needs and state of the patient. Where this communication breaks down, negligence can occur.

This is where the Electronic Health Record comes in. It’s a digital version of something that medical institutions have always done: write down the relevant details of a patient’s case. The EHR ensures that all medical practitioners have access to the best possible information on the patient – which means fewer prescription errors, better diagnoses, and ultimately, better outcomes for patients.

The Rise of Telemedicine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a pressing need to reduce the number of in-person encounters. But telemedicine offers additional benefits. It allows doctors to reduce the amount of time they spend on low-priority cases. If you’re worried about a rash you’ve developed, it might take just a short video phone call for a doctor to either reassure you or progress the case.

On the other hand, telemedicine can allow for more frequent check-ins between doctor and patient. There’s no need to visit the surgery, which means added convenience. Patient care, in other words, can be made more continuous – and problems less likely.

Artificial Intelligence in Patient Safety

Artificial intelligence is showing enormous promise when it comes to early diagnosis and predictive analytics. Software might soon be able to sift through X-rays and other images, and identify suspicious patterns that a human doctor can take a closer look at. By flagging risks earlier, machines can help to drive down the risk of negligence.

Conclusion

The roles played by the technologies we’ve mentioned are almost certain to be expanded and refined over the coming decades. By embracing these changes, healthcare providers like the NHS can drive down failure rates, reduce legal costs, and ultimately make the world a healthier place!

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