Doctors warned against using Windows 10

Doctors and pharmacists should wait before installing Windows 10 on their practice computers, former doctor and expert in medical IT systems Wim Jongejan writes on his website. According to him, just upgrading to Windows 10 could cause a substantial number of problems with practice software. On July 29th Windows 10 became freely available for download on all computers currently running a legitimate copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Users only have to click on the Windows icon that has been flashing at the bottom right of the screen on most computers for the past few weeks, download Windows 10 and install it. According to Jongejan, doing this is a very bad idea for doctors and pharmacists on their practice systems. A large proportion of GP Information Systems are on computers currently running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Upgrading to Windows 10 without prior approval from the supplier of the GP Information Systems could cause all sorts of compatibility problems, practice software that suddenly stops working. It may also violate the support conditions of the supplier. Jongejan thus advises doctors to consult at least consult their IT departments, if they have one, before upgrading, or wait for instructions from their medical software suppliers. "If you still want to test out Windows 10, do it on a PC or laptop at home, that does not run anything business related and whose operation is not crucial to your private life"