Statins IT Glitch puts Thousands at Risk of Heart Attacks
Thousands of patients have either received statins when their medical condition did not warrant it, or, been put at risk of heart attacks when they did not receive statins to reduce their cholesterol levels.
This was all down to a software glitch that has affected a system used by one third of GP practices (which amounts to 2,500 GP practices). The medicines and devices regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has launched an inquiry.
The current guidance from the NHS states that people with a 10% chance of cardiovascular disease in the next decade should be given statins, and the risk profile is calculated by software that takes account of genetic issues and the patient's weight and blood pressure.
Comment
IT can do so much good and make such a difference in improving patient outcomes in an efficient way. However, stories like this could adversely affect confidence by doctors and patients in these tools.
Overall, IT can play such a big role in the future, and in particular in enabling the NHS to continue to survive and thrive at a time when it is facing rapidly increasing demand and greater cost pressures. It is important that the MHRA's inquiry shows that lessons are learnt in order to keep confidence in the use of IT in healthcare.