1 in 10 Patients Is Harmed During Healthcare: Dr. Neeraj Dhabhai Launches Book on AI and Patient Safety in Indian Hospitals

Around one in 10 patients is harmed during healthcare globally, with around half of this harm considered preventable, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Against this backdrop, healthcare supply chain and health-tech expert and author Dr. Neeraj Kumar Dhabhai has launched his latest book, Clinical Decision Support Systems: Transforming Patient Safety Through AI in Indian Healthcare, published by Adhyaan Books.
The book addresses a critical question for increasingly digitised hospitals: if the information needed to prevent a patient's harm already exists somewhere within the healthcare system, why does that information so often fail to reach the right person at the right time?
According to Dr. Dhabhai, the challenge is not necessarily a lack of data, but its fragmentation across hospital systems, disconnected workflows and the absence of intelligent infrastructure that can convert information into actionable clinical insight. The book explores how Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) can help bridge this gap through contextual insights, timely alerts and evidence-based recommendations, while supporting rather than replacing clinical judgement.
Clinical Decision Support Systems: Transforming Patient Safety Through AI in Indian Healthcare makes the case that CDSS should be viewed as more than a technology upgrade. It explores its potential as part of the safety infrastructure required by hospitals, as healthcare becomes increasingly data-driven. Written for hospital administrators, clinicians, technology developers and policymakers, the book examines critical healthcare problems that CDSS can address, its potential contribution to patient safety and life-saving interventions, automation of healthcare workflows, stakeholder benefits and the practical challenges of implementation in India. It also addresses implementation strategy and roadmap, regulatory and ethical considerations, and the future of CDSS in India, concluding with a practical guide for organisations looking to get started.
“Patients deserve better than luck”, says Dr Neeraj Kumar Dhabhai and explains, “Healthcare has invested significantly in digitisation, but digitisation by itself does not guarantee safer decisions. The real opportunity lies in connecting the information that already exists and making it meaningful at the point of care. Clinical Decision Support Systems can help bridge that gap. The question is no longer whether the technology exists, but whether we are prepared to build the systems, processes and governance required to use it responsibly for patient safety.”
The book draws on Dr. Dhabhai's nearly two decades of experience across healthcare organisations and pharmaceutical companies, including Fortis, Hinduja, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Abbott and Zydus. His experience spans hospital procurement, supply chain, pharmacy, infrastructure, operations, technology-led process transformation and healthcare innovation. He currently serves as Vice President, Supply Chain at Rainbow Children's Hospital, where he has been involved in large-scale procurement and infrastructure initiatives, supply-chain digitalisation and the development of new healthcare business verticals. He is also a Visiting Faculty at IIM Nagpur and General Secretary of the National Healthcare Supply Chain Council. His first book, Supply Pulse: Navigating the Heartbeat of Healthcare, emerged from his experience in healthcare supply chain and examined the role of technology in improving transparency, visibility and trust across healthcare procurement and operations. His latest book represents a natural progression, from operational intelligence to clinical decision intelligence and patient safety.