Medication safety in two intensive care units of a community teaching hospital after electronic health record implementation: sociotechnical and human factors engineering considerations.
Carayon P, Wetterneck TB, Cartmill R, et al. Medication Safety in Two Intensive Care Units of a Community Teaching Hospital After Electronic Health Record Implementation: Sociotechnical and Human Factors Engineering Considerations. J Patient Saf. 2021;17(5):e429-e439. doi:10.1097/PTS.0000000000000358.
This human factors study examined how electronic health record (EHR) implementation affected medication safety. Researchers encountered improvements in transcription, dispensing, and administration errors after EHR introduction. Several types of medication prescribing errors, including choosing the wrong drug, duplicate orders, or orders with incorrect information, increased with EHR use. This study adds to the evidence suggesting EHR implementation has mixed effects on medication safety.