Australians, like Americans, have reason to fear hospitals because fatal medical errors lurk there. Widely reported Australian government statistics indicate that preventable errors are responsible for 11 percent of all deaths in the country. When deaths from prescription mistakes are added in, the figure comes to a staggering 19 percent. Landmark research in the United States in 2000 revealed that many thousands of Americans die each year for the same reasons.

Humans are usually blamed for this world-wide problem, without enough attention to the systemic and ergonomic failures that contribute to the errors. An Ergonomics Report™ published in May explores many of the aspects of the failures. "Unhealthy Hospitals – The Cost of Ignoring Ergonomics," however, reports that some researchers in the United States now have misgivings about relying on high-tech solutions to solve the problem of medical errors.

The same misgivings don’t appear to be slowing the wider introduction of the rolling PC patient cart. As reported in The Age newspaper in Australia on May 31, the hospitals that have tested it are enthusiastic. Tony Firth, director of business development for Canberra-based Hatrix, which developed the software for the rolling cart, told the newspaper that the high incidence of adverse drug-related fatalities in Australia should spur hospitals to introduce the new system. Last year, 177 people died in Australia from adverse drug reactions according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration authority.

The related software provides medical staff with a timetable for patient medication, with alerts if a dose is omitted. It also details the method of delivery for the drug. A drugs database linked to the system describes medications and contra-indications for 4500 prescription drugs.

Users describe the security system for the cart, with its rolling password, as far more secure than the old clipboard system. Hatrix developer Tony Firth acknowledged that once entire hospitals were equipped with the system further security measures may be required. Thumbprint access is under consideration.

It has won over users, according to the newspaper article, because it improves legibility and provides access to a contraindication database. Doctors use the system to detail particular protocols that they wish to use with patients, giving a much greater degree of control over treatment.

"If we can avoid one negligence claim then this can pay for itself. If you can prevent one or two a year then you'll be paying for the whole project," Jan Robbins, manager of acute care information systems for the Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services, told the newspaper.

Sources: The Age, The Ergonomics Report™