Researchers Propose a Framework for EHR Interventions Targeting Patient Safety

AHRQ-funded researchers have proposed a reporting framework for electronic health record (EHR) interventions targeting patient safety. The framework, called the Safety-related EHR Research (SAFER) Reporting Framework, builds on a model previously developed by the authors for design, development, implementation, use and evaluation of health information technology. Writing in a special supplement of Annals of Internal Medicine, the authors said a research reporting framework is necessary because the success of EHR-based interventions to improve patient safety depends not just on the intervention’s technical characteristics but also on the characteristics and behaviors of individuals and organizations targeted by an intervention, including how people work. However, current research reporting guidelines do not capture the complexity of factors such as workflow and organizational issues that influence these interventions. The SAFER Reporting Framework would enable reporting of patient safety-focused EHR-based interventions while accounting for context affecting intervention implementation, effectiveness, and generalizability. The framework can help explain why similar features and functions in EHRs have different outcomes in different settings and promote knowledge needed to improve safety benefits from EHRs. Access the abstract.