MedPage Today October 15, 2017
‘Garbage in garbage out’ can pose a risk to patients
Over the last as 10 years electronic health records (EHRs) became the required technology of medical practice, but EHR complexity remains an issue so it is not surprising that errors occur with digital records – errors that sometimes cause harm to patients.
There are an enormous number of different standards for EHRs, and responsibility for ensuring that the systems function to promote safe, high-quality care is diffuse. That responsibility is spread between vendors, healthcare systems and clinicians.
Against that reality, how can practicing clinicians assure patient safety?
Leading researchers in this realm agree that the extent of patient harm from EHR associated errors is probably under recognized and underreported. “Although...