EHR Report: Smith vs. Smith: Errors in the era of EHRs

Errors can last a lifetime

With each episode of care, the charts of the two Mr. Smiths could become more enmeshed, and the histories harder to untangle. (In this case, a passing reference to the stress test results in the ED intern’s history and physical of George Smith may perpetuate the mistake, even though the error has been caught this time.) When mistakes like this are identified, hundreds of collective staff hours can be required to unweave comingled medical records, even when they don’t result in patient harm. It is therefore critical to develop safeguards to prevent them from occurring in the first place, with efforts that include training programs, workflow process improvement, and technology enhancement.

Ultimately, it may be impossible to prevent all documentation errors. However, by focusing on the big picture and considering patient safety first, we can raise awareness of these and other critical issues and develop the tools and training necessary to make mistakes possible to avoid.

Dr. Notte is a family physician and clinical informaticist for Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital. He is also a partner in EHR Practice Consultants, a firm that aids physicians in adopting electronic health records. Dr. Skolnik is associate director of the family medicine residency program at Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital and professor of family and community medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia.