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SUMMARY:Safer Healthcare by Better Computer Science - Prof. Harold Thimble
 by - Swansea University\, Wales.
DTSTART:20140212T140000Z
DTEND:20140212T150000Z
UID:TALK49754@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:David Greaves
DESCRIPTION:Most of the time we can cope when things don’t work very wel
 l\, but in\nhealthcare badly designed computer systems cause problems that
  harm\nand sometimes kill patients. Nurses are often blamed\, so fixing th
 e\ncomputer science never gets prioritized\; in fact\, the culture of\ncom
 puting presents it as a solution\, so when things go wrong something\nelse
  must be to blame.\n\nWe will show how better computer science can signifi
 cantly improve\nsafety and reduce design induced harm. Moreover\, any prob
 lem fixed by\nbetter programming becomes a benefit to anybody who uses or 
 is\naffected by systems\, often without requiring training (which for\nhea
 lthcare is a major issue).\n\nCurrently\, preventable errors in hospitals 
 kill about 80\,000 pa in the\nUK\, the third biggest killer after heart di
 sease and cancer. IT of one\nsort or another contributes to that\, so one 
 wonders why higher\nprogramming standards are not universally required. Wh
 ile a research\nprogramme is needed\, the practical problem facing us is t
 o find out\nhow to align the interests of victims (patients\, carers and s
 ervices)\nwith the interests of the manufacturers and regulators. We’ll 
 give\nsome suggestions.
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 1\, Computer Laboratory
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