Barriers to automation in health care settings

Health information systems have changed little since the 1970s, and most are incapable of meeting the information demands of either their organization or outside organizations. Through literature reviews, interviews with staff in three hospitals, and a vendor study, the staff of Kunitz and Associates, Inc. examined barriers to implementing automated systems in hospitals. These barriers were found to be technical, organizational, and operational in nature and to involve issues of communication within the health care environment and between information system vendors and health care staff. Resolving these issues is dependent upon efforts by both the health care and technical communities.