Electronic health record–related safety concerns: a cross-sectional survey.
Although electronic health records (EHRs) have led to many improvements in care, they have also created novel patient safety risks. This Web-based survey assessed the perceptions of lawyers and health care risk management specialists regarding EHR-related serious safety events. Two-thirds of respondents worked for hospitals or health care systems, with only 18% representing physician practice groups. More than half of respondents reported that their health care facilities had at least one serious safety event related to EHRs in the past 5 years, and 10% experienced more than 20 events in the same period. The most common issues involved misleading data, incomplete patient orders, and failure to follow up abnormal test results. The perspective of risk managers and lawyers provides valuable insights into potential EHR-related safety concerns and areas for improvement. An AHRQ WebM&M interview with Dr. David Blumenthal discussed the introduction of health information technology and why he believes the benefits clearly outweigh the potential harms.