• Shailaja Menon, Hardeep Singh, Ashley N D Meyer, Elisabeth Belmont, and Dean F Sittig.
• Houston VA Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety.
• J Healthc Risk Manag. 2014 Jan 1; 34 (1): 14-26.

AbstractFederal electronic health record (EHR)-related initiatives are leading to rapid increases in their adoption. Despite their benefits, EHRs also introduce new risks that can lead to serious safety events. We conducted a Web-based survey of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the American Health Lawyers Association to elicit perceptions regarding the frequency and types of EHR-related serious safety events. We received 369 responses. The majority (66%) worked for large hospitals and health systems with varying degrees of EHR adoption. More than half (53%) of respondents reported at least one EHR-related serious safety event in the previous 5 years, and 10% reported more than 20 events. EHR workflow (63%), user familiarity with the EHR system (63%), and integration with existing systems (59%) were most frequently endorsed as variables associated with EHR-related serious safety events. Because EHR-related safety concerns are underreported, organizations should consider implementing robust measures of EHR safety within their institution as a key step for mitigating these concerns. © 2014 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

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