There is little standardization across these systems, even on such fundamental issues as displaying patient data. While he realizes it is impossible to standardize everything, he also said there are certain high-risk processes that we have to get right with technology. One of these is patient identification. “Technology could be useful in this area but also must be used correctly,” said Dr. Singh, who was one of the authors of the ECRI report. “It has certainly made the system more transparent, and we can measure things more easily. It is easier to see when problems develop because it is documented in an EMR instead of a paper record that no one could ever find.”
The complexity of medicine makes WPEs possible. Multiple diagnostic tests, more patients, and more providers are involved in patient care, all of which increase the chance of error. Physicians are getting more information to diagnose patients than just a history and physical and basic blood work. Additionally, as the patient population ages, medical complexity and the opportunity for errors increase even more. “Between increasing time pressures, increasing patient volumes, and increasing complexity of the patients we are treating, there are certainly ample opportunities for error,” said Dr. Brenner. “This is not only in patient identification issues, but all other aspects of care.”
| ← Previous | | | Next → | Single Page