Having Multiple Electronic Health Records Open Simultaneously May Not Increase Wrong-Patient Order Errors

Restricting clinicians to having one electronic health record (EHR) record open at a time did not significantly reduce the rate of wrong-patient order errors compared with allowing up to four records to be open concurrently, according to a new AHRQ study on clinician use of EHRs. In the study, published in the May JAMA Network, researchers compared the risk of wrong-patient orders while accessing one versus four EHRs open in a variety of clinical settings, including hospitals, emergency departments and outpatient facilities. While no differences in wrong-patient orders were observed between those clinician groups, there was considerable variation in the frequency of errors in different clinical settings. The rate of wrong-patient order errors was lowest in outpatient settings, where physicians may care for one patient at a time. The highest rates, meanwhile, were seen in inpatient critical care and obstetrics units, which reflected differences in workflows and number of patients being cared for simultaneously, researchers noted. The research offers insights for healthcare systems that are trying to balance patient safety with the needs of busy clinicians who need tools for efficient workflow. Access the abstract. An accompanying editorial takes a closer look at the study

2019 May 14;321(18):1771-1773. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.3835.