Electronic medical records were seen as a panacea to increase patient safety and ensure better treatment. There were errors with medical records recorded with pen and paper. Errors continue as patient records are recorded electronically.
A government panel is reviewing the use of electronic medical records and is trying to come up with a list of recommendations to improve patient safety.
The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Patient Safety and Health Information Technology was to hold its first meeting on Dec. 14-15, 2010, according to a committee statement.
The committee was created by the Institute of Medicine and will study the issue for about a year and then come up with recommendations, according to a report from The New York Times.
The Institute of Medicine said it will review available evidence and experiences on the use of health information technology and how it affects patient care and safety. Recommendations will be included in a final report. These will hopefully improve the safety and care of patients while providers use electronic health records and other kinds of health information technology, according to the Institute of Medicine. (IOM).
The report comes as there is an increasing presence and need for health information technology-assisted care, according to the IOM. This kind of care relates to health care and health services that use health information technology and “health information exchange to improve the processes and outcomes of health care services,” says the IOM.
Examples of such care include: “EHR [electronic health records,] clinical decision support, computerized provider order entry, health information exchange, patient engagement technologies, and other health information technology used in clinical care,” the IOM explains.
The committee’s final report is expected to be issued in January 2012.
The study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Times reports that literally thousands of “sometimes deadly medical errors tallied by an Institute of Medicine study in 1999 are still all too common,” based on a study of hospitals located in North Carolina. The study was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
When it comes to electronic record systems, The Times reports, there are “computer errors, design flaws and breakdowns in communication” which can put patients at higher risk.
The Times added that portions of electronic medical records have “disappeared or been saved in the wrong patient’s file,” based on reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In addition, the FDA said drug allergies and blood pressure readings have been inaccurately entered, The Times reports.
In a recent report from HealthTechZone, an electronic health records events database was created to monitor any problems.
The EHR Safety Event Reporting System will monitor any issues that develop with provider use of health records systems, says HealthTechZone.
The system is a joint effort of the iHealth Alliance and the PDR network. The iHealth Alliance is coalition of medical society executives, professional liability carriers and representatives from the FDA.
Ed Silverstein is a HealthTechZone contributor. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Juliana Kenny
