Many years ago (ahem), when undertaking the ethics component of a computing degree, this very situation was discussed.

In the very litigious USA, when using decision support software (as it was called then) who would take responsibility if the Doctor had followed the right recommendations but the patient died?

a)      The person who coded the software

b)      The person who sold the software

c)       The person who advised the developer (clinicians)

d)      The doctor who treated the patient

e)      Someone else (anyone!)

 

Can’t remember who the class held responsible at the time but as computer students, I’d guess it wasn’t the coder!

J

 

 

 

I agree on many points made around this article. On reflection I should have just posted a link to the report , from which we can establish;

 

1)      UTD indexing was wrong

2)      The searcher compounded this by accepting it

3)      It wouldn’t have mattered either way

 

So………from an LIS point of view, we must continue to teach our beleaguered staff the importance of considering information presented to them, whether from the Daily Mail or UTD, and all sources in-between, as this does have an impact on outcomes, even if ultimately it didn’t in this tragic case.

 

 

 

 

Couldn’t agree more…how badly written is this article?  What actually happened? 

I can see a series of badly formed, conflicting sentences, like a word soup of terms, which follow no chronological order of events:

“proper treatment…different treatment…internet database…planned to prescribe antibiotics…antibiotics not prescribed…antibiotics would not have been not effective…UpToDate”.

Incendiary reporting, I think.

Becca

 

 

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The right wing press relishes any opportunity that presents itself to bash the NHS as a failing organisation in need of privatisation, and there are countless incidences like this portrayed every year (usually by the Daily Mail) where medical procedures were followed but a tragedy happened - in this case sepsis wasn’t suspected soon enough – the perennial problem.

The BBC article played on the fact that the doctor “went online” to get the answer to make him/her look unprofessional and clueless, not informing the public what UTD actually is.

Not an indexing issue, but a doctor/NHS -bashing one for me.

Comrades unite!

Sally

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The linked report specifies that “he searched for the phrase ‘cate bite’ and was directed to a diagnosis of cat scratch fever”. This is very wrong, and no longer the case, as we do get the correct topic on Animal bites. I was assuming it had been rectified since.

 

S

 

How is UTD’s indexing at fault here? By the sound of it, the end-user accepted a predictive text suggestion. I’ve just tested this. If I enter cat scratch, I’m led to Treatment of cat scratch disease. If on the other hand I enter cat bite, then I’m taken Animal bites: Evaluation and management. It sounds, though we should not prejudge any investigations that may be taking place, as if there was an error in clerking the patient, or in recalling the clerking when the end-user searched UTD.

I’d love to use this as an case study in how using a librarian saves lives, but I think it would be stretching the point.

Tom

 

 

 

Thanks Rosemary – I’m looking at my UTD trainer certificate now, think I need to renew it LOL

 

Best wishes,

 

Simon

 

 

Simon,

 

There is a Topic Feedback link, a green tab on the right of the screen within the topic review (although not terribly obvious). When we had training on UpToDate, we were told that they welcome comments or corrections from clinicians.  I wonder how much of UpToDate the coroner was able to see.

 

Thanks,

Rosemary

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this, very interesting – in the linked prevention of future deaths report is notes

 

I wonder if we’ll be seeing a feedback mechanism offered soon? I’m sure our users would like to be reassured about this (as would we).

 

I’ve just repeated the search and it seems to be fixed, so I can’t see exactly what happened previously. I think the lesson as far as UTD is concerned in this report is ‘searcher beware’, which applies to all searching really, so we have to emphasise it to our users across the board, and not assume some products are infallible.

 

It does make you wonder about fully integrating these products with the EPR.

 

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Hi All,

 

Here’s a grim tale and see last paragraph…BBC Newham General Hospital apology over woman's cat bite death https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48596508

 

Kind regards,

 

Jill

 

 

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