System Configuration Evaluation for a Province-Wide Clinical Information System Using the eSafety Checklist.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Safety Technology
• Clinical Information Systems

Background:

• Technology-related issues cause approximately one-third of patient safety incidents after clinical information system (CIS) implementation.
• An evidence-based eSafety checklist was developed to offer system-agnostic configuration recommendations for improving CIS safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply the eSafety checklist to support the safe initial configuration of Connect Care, a provincial system-wide CIS in Alberta, Canada.
• To evaluate the clinical applicability of the eSafety checklist in a real-world, large-scale CIS implementation.

Main Methods:

• The eSafety checklist was adapted into an abbreviated, high-priority version.
• Demonstrations of 13 Connect Care modules were recorded.
• Two independent eSafety evaluators assessed each module recording using the abbreviated checklist.

Main Results:

• All modules achieved over 72% compliance, with an average of 84%.
• 273 opportunities for improvement were identified across four key themes: date/time consistency, patient identification clarity, alert system effectiveness, and decision support adequacy.
• Identified opportunities were submitted to development teams for review and implementation.

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to utilize the eSafety checklist in a real-world CIS implementation, demonstrating its practical value.
• The checklist successfully identified critical gaps in CIS configuration, highlighting its utility for enhancing patient safety.
• The eSafety checklist is recommended for use in both new and existing CIS deployments to proactively address technology-related safety concerns.