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Lessons from the NHS National Programme for IT

Enrico W Coiera
Med J Aust 2007; 186 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb00774.x
Published online: 1 January 2007

A program of this size is bound to experience challenges

The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom is undertaking the world’s largest civil information technology (IT) project,1 committing £12.4 billion over 10 years to improve services and quality of patient care through the strategic use of IT.1 The size of this commitment makes the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT), delivered by the NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) agency, of major international importance.


  • Centre for Health Informatics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.


Correspondence: e.coiera@unsw.edu.au

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  • 3. UK National Audit Office. Department of Health. The national programme for IT in the NHS. London: The Stationery Office, 2006: 60. http://www.e-health-insider.com/tc_domainsBin/Document_Library0282/NPfIT_NAO_report_16-06-06.pdf (accessed Nov 2005).
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  • 6. Coiera EW, Westbrook JI. Should clinical software be regulated [editorial]? Med J Aust 2006; 184: 600-601. <MJA full text>
  • 7. Baker M, Harrison I, Gray M, et al. Safer IT in a safer NHS: account of a partnership. Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23: 11-14.
  • 8. Woodhouse T. 21st century IT — can we deliver it? Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2003; 20: 24-26.
  • 9. Hendy J, Reeves BC, Fulop N, et al. Challenges to implementing the national programme for information technology (NPfIT): a qualitative study. BMJ 2005; 331: 331-336.
  • 10. Coiera E, Clarke R. e-Consent: the design and implementation of consumer consent mechanisms in an electronic environment. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2004; 11: 129-140.

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