Transition to a new electronic health record and pediatric medication safety: lessons learned in pediatrics within a large academic health system.
Prior studies have shown that adverse events can increase during the implementation of a new electronic health record (EHR). This pre–post study examined changes in medication errors for pediatric inpatients following implementation of a new commercial EHR. Investigators identified errors through voluntary error reporting. Researchers uncovered several vulnerabilities including lack of embedded functionality for pediatric dosing, challenges with the clinician interface for electronic prescribing, and management of dosing using intravenous pumps. The authors recommend implementing safety guidelines for pediatric patients in commercial EHR software. A past WebM&M commentary discussed systemic issues related to EHRs such as absence of standard definitions and processes.