tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post421002669231718297..comments2024-03-26T07:19:50.901+00:00Comments on Dr Grumble: Computer chaosDr Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-50689708067077155892008-10-20T22:04:00.000+01:002008-10-20T22:04:00.000+01:00It's an utter joke I thought I had it bad, but 8 p...It's an utter joke <A HREF="http://thejuniordoctor.blogspot.com/2008/01/username-password.html" REL="nofollow">I thought I had it bad,</A> but 8 passwords is just stupid.<BR/><BR/>Like you say, they've been "sorting it out" since I was in medical school and the system is a worse mess than ever.Dr Michael Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05340927185641717290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-77039016146273275272008-10-19T07:20:00.000+01:002008-10-19T07:20:00.000+01:00slightly off-topic, but this case demonstrates how...slightly off-topic, but this case demonstrates how staff aren't even writing notes in some cases - it's the most recent entry to which I refer.<BR/><BR/>http://midwifemuse.wordpress.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-57008603567884893052008-10-18T21:33:00.000+01:002008-10-18T21:33:00.000+01:00"Single Sign-On / SSO" (as our Anonymous IT person..."Single Sign-On / SSO" (as our Anonymous IT person puts it) is how the University systems I have used all work.<BR/><BR/>Our local equivalent of the "8 separate **!!dy passwords" problem is loads of keypad locks on lab and office doors, all of which need a different code. We have in the past sometimes been reduced to dismantling them after most people (esp. building admin) have gone home and re-setting them all to the same number.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-14362942002543165322008-10-18T18:36:00.000+01:002008-10-18T18:36:00.000+01:00As a long-time IT geek, I just had to wonder who m...As a long-time IT geek, I just had to wonder who made that decision. Is there someone in the upper echelon of the NHS with an interest in a smartcard vendor? Vendors of same seem to be the primary beneficiaries of large smartcard implementations. Single sign-on (SSO - one user name and password logs a person on to the systems s/he is permitted to use) has been around since IBM mainframes. Unfortunately, SSO is not often implemented for new(er) and/or small(er) systems. I suspect that the perceived increase in IT administrative overhead and the multiplicity of various (and possibly incompatible) systems that would interface with an SSO system could be to blame. Why not use biometrics (e.g. fingerprint readers, scanners that read blood vessel patterns in the palm, retinal scanners)? Are biometrics too invasive of privacy, as the biometric data must be stored somewhere? Biometrics would help with the locum, phantom employee, and vanishing cards issues. In any case, it would still be necessary to have some criterion for password re-entry after x minutes of idle time - you really don't want somebody messing around with your patient's data. Eiminating the time out could lead to unintended results for both you and your patients.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-50710414931171736892008-10-18T16:12:00.000+01:002008-10-18T16:12:00.000+01:00It's great to have these observations confirmed fr...It's great to have these observations confirmed from the patient's point of view. Dr G is embarrassed at how he has to struggle with the computer systems in front of patients who must assume that because of his great age he is computer illiterate. He stifles his curses in front of the patients but lets forth at the receptionist who tells him that he is not the only one to be held back by the technology.<BR/><BR/>Patients may think consultants have the power to rectify these problems. They don't. We need patients to complain for us.<BR/><BR/>Improvements could start by having a single log in which does not time out between patients. To be fair the Grumble hospital is working on this.Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02459592334604944530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-41395447954952674662008-10-18T13:57:00.000+01:002008-10-18T13:57:00.000+01:00I've noticed this problem at every appointment I'v...I've noticed this problem at every appointment I've been to recently, at what seems a much greater level than even 6 months ago.<BR/>In an outpatients appt the poor locum consultant just could not work the computer system. Eventually with the help of nursing staff, medical student and myself we all figured out how to get various tests ordered and details entered, but it took longer than the actual consultation time to do. <BR/>Even with my regular consultant who does not have the disadvantage of being older than the NHS it still took a ridiculous amount of time to work the computer systems.<BR/>In GP land I'm not sure it's much better-at an appointment with the practice nurse it turned into a computer tutorial because she was so stressed about being unable to work the shiny new system. It did seem ridiculous as for flu jabs (with the same batch number etc) there was no way to cut and paste, each set of numbers had to be inputted for each patient. Time consuming and more likely to cause mistakes I should think. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if one of the reasons this situation has continued is that despite the hopes of politicians and the media, your average person has such a high degree of trust for doctors and nurses they probably won't question these issues. <BR/>Bendy GirlBenefitScroungingScumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939136229593231935noreply@blogger.com