Nah, not bad software (even though most medical software can be horrifically bad). Nope. Incompetent, indifferent or uninformed people (or all of the above).

Nah, not bad software (even though most medical software can be horrifically bad). Nope. Incompetent, indifferent or uninformed people (or all of the above). The number of people in the US who have virtually no clue of what is going on in the world is staggering. They can tell you the latest news about Miley of Bieber. Ask them "What's going on in Liberia" and you are far more likely to get a blank stare than an intelligent response. Ask them "Where is Liberia?" extra credit. So you have a guy with a fever come into the ER saying he just got back from West Africa and, in a huge number of cases, that is likely to be met with "Cool! Got pictures?". Even if the hospital had no computers, informed and knowledgeable providers would immediately escalate the patient based on two simple bits of data: West Africa + Fever. Someone with more information than the latest on Miley's ass-shaking antics might even ask: "How close were you to the ebola-afflicted area?". In this case the answer to that question should have resulted in immediate isolation and further actions. You can't blame computers and software for everything.