Healthcare software funding concerns raised by Icelandic doctors over patient safety

Healthcare software plays a crucial role in patient safety, and recent evaluations have highlighted the need for improvements across health institutions. Between 2020 and 2023, healthcare authorities in Iceland invested nearly three billion Icelandic krónur in software from Origo, but many healthcare workers have raised concerns about the system’s reliability.

The Saga system, which manages electronic medical records and is the largest in the health sector, is particularly contentious. It predominantly receives funding from the Chief Medical Officer and the National University Hospital. Origo, a subsidiary of Helix Health ehf., has been paid more than 1.7 billion krónur for software development, alongside over 1.3 billion for additional software usage from both the hospital and other health institutions.

Margrét Ólafía Tómasdóttir, head of the Icelandic Association of General Practitioners, notes that many doctors find the systems slow and prone to failures, which hampers their ability to process prescriptions and access vital patient data. This has raised concerns about patient safety.

Margrét emphasizes that research indicates doctors spend the majority of their work hours at computer screens, yet the expected efficiencies have not materialized. Instead, the technical environment has become more of an obstacle, detracting from valuable time that could be allocated to patient care.

Furthermore, there are criticisms of the Chief Medical Officer’s exclusive contracts with a single software provider, which some argue limits the exploration of potentially beneficial innovations that could enhance the existing systems. The call for a more open approach to new solutions is seen as essential for driving improvement in healthcare technology.