Spreadsheets in Clinical Medicine

TL;DR

This paper highlights the risks of using poorly tested and constructed spreadsheets in clinical medicine, emphasizing the potential for serious errors and advocating for better testing and validation practices.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of weaknesses in publicly available clinical spreadsheets, raising awareness of safety concerns in medical data management.

Findings

Identified serious weaknesses in clinical spreadsheets

Warned against untested spreadsheet use in medicine

Highlighted need for rigorous testing and validation

Abstract

There is overwhelming evidence that the continued and widespread use of untested spreadsheets in business gives rise to regular, significant and unexpected financial losses. Whilst this is worrying, it is perhaps a relatively minor concern compared with the risks arising from the use of poorly constructed and/or untested spreadsheets in medicine, a practice that is already occurring. This article is intended as a warning that the use of poorly constructed and/or untested spreadsheets in clinical medicine cannot be tolerated. It supports this warning by reporting on potentially serious weaknesses found while testing a limited number of publicly available clinical spreadsheets.