Hospital Records Compromised: Camelion System Malfunctions Lead to Errors and Misdiagnoses in Israel

A recent inspection of the Camelion system, a computerized medical file system used by many hospitals in Israel, has uncovered a serious malfunction. The Ministry of Health reported that the system incorrectly copied clinical information of some hospitalized patients, leading to errors such as misdiagnoses and incorrect labeling of procedures. While no harm has been reported so far, the extent of the defect is still under investigation. This is not the first time that a malfunction has occurred with the Camelion software; in February, a previous error caused the erroneous addition of drugs to the list of permanent drugs in some patients’ medical files, affecting around 1,200 people. The Camelion system has been operational since 2008 and is used by about 80% of hospitals in Israel for admission and treatment processes in emergency rooms and wards and clinics. Tens to hundreds of thousands of people use it daily for their medical care. The Ministry of Health is working diligently to investigate the malfunctions and ensure the accuracy and safety of patient records in the future.