Don't Get Tripped Up With These EHR Errors
A simple typo could still put you at risk of a negligence lawsuit.
E
lectronic
health records
give care-
givers quick and easy
access to a patient's
medical history, but
the improper use of
EHRs — whether it's
intentionally falsifying
records or making a
simple typo — can
lead to critical errors
in patient care that
could cause serious
harm to patients and
expose healthcare
providers to medical
liability.
The impact of
improper EHR use on
patient care can be
devastating. Patients
have been given incorrect doses, undergone unnecessary surgeries,
been deprived of necessary care, and suffered long-term harm or death
due to incorrect or missing information displayed on their EHRs. And
often when this happens, patients or their families seek restitution by
pursing legal action.
2 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 6
Medical Malpractice
Clifford Earl Robertson II, JD
• CAREFUL CONSIDERATION If you copy and paste information into the EHR or the
software autopopulates certain fields, be sure to review the information for accuracy.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
