Distracted Doctoring

A safety aspect of health IT—or, perhaps more accurately, of IT use in healthcare facilities—is highlighted in a December 15, 2012, article in the New York Timescalled “As Doctors Use More Devices, Potential for Distraction Grows,” written by Matt Richtel. The article describes a dark side of putting more computer technology in the hands of caregivers—namely, that this technology can become a distraction.