When you are ill, you go to your doctor for treatment. When you suffer a sudden severe injury, you no doubt head to the emergency room for attention. No matter where you are, you expect to receive accurate treatment that helps heal your condition. Whether you are at the hospital, ER or receiving any kind of medical care at your doctor’s office, it is vital for doctors, nurses and other personnel to document everything accurately. However, sometimes mistakes occur in electronic records that lead to an injury or even death.
The healthcare industry developed this system of electronic health records for accuracy, to make the lives of medical professionals easier and to achieve lower administrative costs and save money. This system developed quickly, increasing in use in hospitals from 9% in 2008 to 96% in 2019. It also replaced written notation during that same time in many doctors’ offices. According to Forbes, the expected financial savings has not happened and there has been a decrease in doctor-patient interaction but an increase in death and injury as a result of records errors.
There are multiple explanations for this. One common mistake happens when your data is recorded onto a different patient’s profile. A second major category of errors results from incompatibility between software systems or other software glitches. And still another type of error occurs due to medications you may be taking. Systems do not always flag potential drug interactions or accurate starting and stopping dates for prescriptions. These are just some of the ways that electronic health records errors may have caused or contributed to your injury.
