The Downsides of EHRs in the ER

Implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) has resulted in a multitude of new patient safety errors in the emergency department (ED), said a March 1, 2016, article in Kaiser Health News. According to the author, while error reduction was a major goal for the government incentives to hospitals that adopted EHRs, the fast-paced world of the ED often creates technological mismatches and challenges that are less evident in other areas of the hospital. The article cited a 2013 report from the American College of Emergency Physicians noting that incorrect ordering of medications, and omission of key patient information were common because EHR designs were not user-friendly or well adapted to the ED environment.