Israeli patients received wrong medicine in major system failure - Health Ministry
The scope of the malfunction is being examined and will be disclosed to the public when it is available, the ministry said.
An undetermined number of patients across Israeli hospitals received the wrong prescription of medication due to a significant malfunction in the Chameleon software used across the country, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
This collapse of the medical software, integral to the operation and treatment processes in emergency rooms and hospital departments across Israel, comes when the healthcare system is already experiencing unprecedented levels of strain.
The malfunction has resulted in incorrect medications being prescribed to patients, and the full extent of this issue is currently under investigation.
What is the Chameleon software used by Israeli hospitals?
Developed by Elad Systems, the Chameleon software serves as the central computing element in Israeli hospitals. It provides a comprehensive view of all patients in a department or emergency room and their treatment status through a direct overview table. The software features color-coded sections to identify laboratory tests, imaging, consultations, discharges, and more. Clicking on a patient's name gives a detailed screen with their complete medical information.
About 10 days ago, the Health Ministry began receiving initial reports from a hospital about medication record errors for some patients. Specifically, the discharge letters of these patients contained incorrect prescriptions. Following an influx of similar reports, the Ministry initiated an extensive investigation. Hospitals have been directed to verify the accuracy of medications for each patient.
The Ministry estimates that the issue affects at least dozens of patients, though it's still unclear whether the errors occurred during hospitalization or in the discharge medication recommendations. No other management errors, such as those in laboratory tests or imaging, have been identified. The software company has temporarily fixed the malfunction, but the affected patients remain unidentified. An investigation is ongoing to determine if this was a cyber-related event.
Health Ministry to verify medical treatments of patients
In response to this crisis, the Health Ministry has instructed hospital medical teams to carefully verify the medicinal treatments recorded during hospitalization and upon discharge. Additionally, medical teams in health funds are tasked with ensuring the accuracy of the prescribed medications and their dosages.
A senior Health Ministry official stated, "We are deeply investigating this malfunction to understand its impact and implications fully. We have requested hospital teams and treating physicians to rigorously review the medications and dosages in the software and discharge letters."
This is a developing story.
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