In this issue: Time to replace doctors’ judgement with computers

Simon de Lusignan

Abstract


Informaticians continue to rise to the challenge, set by the English Health Minister, of trying to replace doctors’ judgement with computers. This issue describes successes and where there are barriers. However, whilst there is progress this tends to be incremental and there are grand challenges to be overcome before computers can replace clinician. These grand challenges include: (1) improving usability so it is possible to more readily incorporate technology into clinical workflow; (2) rigorous new analytic methods that make use of the mass of available data, ‘Big data’, to create real-world evidence; (3) faster ways of meeting regulatory and legal requirements including ensuring privacy; (4) provision of reimbursement models to fund innovative technology that can substitute for clinical time and (5) recognition that innovations that improve quality also often increase cost. Informatics more is likely to support and augment clinical decision making rather than replace clinicians.

Full Text:

PDF HTML

References


Stone J. UK Politics: replace doctors’ judgement with more computers in the NHS, Jeremy Hunt says. Independent 5th October 2015. Available from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/computers-should-make-more-decisions-in-the-nhs-instead-of-doctors-jeremy-hunt-says-a6679966.html.

El-Kareh R, Pazo V, Wright A and Schiff DG. Losing weights: failure to recognise and act on weight loss documented in an electronic health record. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):316–22. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.137.

Voruganti RT, O’Brien MA, Straus SE, McLaughlin JR and Grunfeld E. Primary care physicians’ perspectives on computer-based health risk assessment tools for chronic diseases: a mixed methods study. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):333–9. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.153.

Wrenn G, Syed I and Kasiah F. Using a self-service kiosk to identify behavioural health needs in a primary care clinic serving an urban, underserved population. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):323–8. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.134.

Gagnon M-P, Payne-Gagnon J, Sicotte C, Langué-Dubé J-A and Motulsky A. Connecting primary care clinics and community pharmacies through a nationwide electronic prescribing network: a qualitative study. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):359–67. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.168.

Kralj D, Kern J, Tonković S and Končar M. Development of the quality assessment model of EHR software in family medicine practices: research based on user satisfaction. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):340–58. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.158.

de Lusignan S, Crawford L and Munro N. Creating and using real world evidence to answer questions about clinical effectiveness. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):368–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.177.

Nair K, Malaeekeh R, Schabort I, Taenzer P, Radhakrishnan A and Guenter D. A clinical decision support system for chronic pain management in primary care: usability testing and its relevance. Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics 2015;22(3):329–32. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.149.

Campbell D and Weaver M. NHS England chief: cash shortages could hit plans for seven-day health service. The Guardian 15th May 2015. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/18/health-unions-threaten-to-strike-if-seven-day-nhs-means-pay-cuts.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v22i3.839

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


This is an open access journal, which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal starting from Volume 21 without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access. For permission regarding papers published in previous volumes, please contact us.

Privacy statement: The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Online ISSN 2058-4563 - Print ISSN 2058-4555. Published by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT