Page 42
--------------------------
AUTO CORRECT
Can EMRs Cause Medication Errors?
Electronic medical records are supposed to help prevent medication delivery errors, right? Not necessarily, says a report in the September issue of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (tinyurl.com/lpbb8nl).
----------------
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES Default settings may put patients at risk.
------------------
EMRs' default modes, which preset medication dose and delivery information, are used to improve standardization and efficiency in healthcare facilities. For example, a recovering surgery patient might receive a dose of a certain pain medication, as indicated by the system's default mode.
According to the report, most EMR-related medication errors are linked to staff failing to change default settings or entering incomplete dosing information, and systems overwriting user-entered values.
Erin Sparnon, MEng, patient safety analyst for the PPSA, advises EMR users to review how they enter dose time information, ensure default values keep up with changes in clinical practice and determine if their systems clearly indicate the difference between user-entered data and system-entered data.
— Daniel Cook
---------------------------------------
(ismp.org/tools/confuseddrugnames.pdf) so providers and staff stop to ensure they're pulling or administering the right medication or dose.
Why security matters
Keeping controlled substances secure is an important aspect of medication management.
The ASA mandates that all controlled narcotics be kept in locked, enclosed
