Providers must empower vigilance to limit the EHR threats

When it comes to EHRs, a deficiency of planning could lead to sufferer death, which is why hospitals must execute the policies and procedures to decrease the EHR threats.

While the health IT movement is acquiring traction across the nation, it yet has a long way to go and problems still exist within EHRs, states Trish Lugtu, associate director of research at MMIC Insurance.

Discussing at an educational session at HIMSS16 previous week, Lugtu claimed that in the past, persons were not paying attention to health information technology and it “scared her.” As an instance, she shared research on 2 sufferers who died as a result of mistakes within their records, involving a sufferer who died following an anaphylactic reaction to known allergies because notifications were turned off in the patient record, and a sufferer who died following a failure to diagnose and treat a small bowel obstruction when an X-ray wasn’t routed properly.

To control these issues, healthcare IT executives require to form partnerships and collaborations with the right persons, involving risk management, Lugtu claimed.

3 steps to decrease risks regarded to EHR usage involve:

Utilize a common language. Both IT and medical fields utilize various acronyms, few of which have different meanings. “Languages [often] do not sync up and we do not realize it,” she claimed.

Develop rights and responsibilities. To date, there has been great work done on setting rules on what should and should not be implemented within an EHR. But it is significant that rights and responsibilities between the clinician and IT team be clearly explained. “To make better the healthcare quality, a balance must be acquired,” she stated. As an instance, if clinicians need to access records, there must be assurances that they follow security practices.

A simplified access. This includes not missing problems and electronic routing of data. It includes events that persons do not consider about, Lugtu stated. “It is all components of how to utilize technology, how we interact with technology, and how we communicate with technology,” she elaborated. “Make certain that you have those. Ensure that you have paper forms and downtime processes.”

In the end, it is about planning. “Find partners in the agency to collaborate, so IT and clinicians are at the table,” she stated. “Failing to plan is planning to fail. If we are not aware of these things and do not have a strategy to secure these problems, we will sustain in the status quo,” she added. “These are not unintended consequences; these are sufferer lives.”