Glitch

From MSNBC, Veterans given wrong drug doses due to glitch About 50 medical centers reported problems with electronic health records.

Glitch? Wikipedia describes: A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, and in circuit bending, as well as among players of video games, although it is applied to all types of systems including human organizations and nature. The term derives from the German glitschig, meaning 'slippery.'

The MSNBC article includes: “Patients at Veterans Affairs health centers around the country were given incorrect doses of drugs, had needed treatments delayed and may have been exposed to other medical errors due to software glitches that showed doctors faulty displays of a patient's electronic health record.”

If you’re interested in quality software, and you should be for it impacts a tremendous amount of your life, you should read a bit in StickyMinds.com. I used much of their material when planning software tests.

I know it is impossible to test every possible combination of software usage. But I have a small talent – I can cause every bit of software I’ve touched to fail. If I have the maximum and minimum parameters and a bit of time, I can introduce you to ‘core dump.’ You’ll get to see blank error messages, or one such as Microsoft’s “An unexpected error has occurred.” Which really does mean an expected error can and possibly will occur.

We are imperfect people, although a goal to be otherwise was laid out for us very early:

Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. (Deuteronomy 18:13)

And we miss the mark:

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (Revelation 3:2)

The wonder of Him is that, with all of our imperfections, all of our own glitches, He not only cares for us but will see that we appear perfect before Him:

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)