PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Shift From Paper to Electronic Medical Records: Cause for Concern?

From banking and managing finances to shopping and ordering pizza, almost everything these days is done electronically.

2010-10-31
October 31, 2010 (Press-News.org) From banking and managing finances to shopping and ordering pizza, almost everything these days is done electronically. Not every sector of society has been quick to embrace the electronic age, however. The medical community has remained behind the digital curve.

For a long time, the medical community kept handwritten records for patients and used handwritten orders for prescriptions. Backed by a $19.5 billion boost from the stimulus package passed in February 2009, though, the medical community is slowly starting to implement digital record keeping, moving toward widespread use of electronic medical records (EMR).

The Benefits of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)

Proponents of EMRs note that paper records can be damaged or lost, difficult to find when needed or may be missing vital information, which can lead to duplicated tests, uniformed treatment decisions and dangerous medication interactions. Additionally, many people who change doctors at some point (perhaps because of a move or change in insurance benefits) often forgot to request copies of their paper records, making it difficult to reconstruct a full medical history, nearly impossible to determine if their immunizations are current or they have a history of using a particular medication.

Potential benefits of electronic medical records include:
- Prevention of medication errors -- better documentation and an automatic check for possible drug errors and interactions
- Automatic follow up -- test results would be tracked and electronic reminders would exist to help decrease mistakes and omissions
- Easier access -- a repository of medical history would allow quick access from many locations by those that need the information. Electronic records would also allow easy transfer of information from one physician to another if a patient changes doctors.
- "Permanent" records - information could be easily backed-up, providing an ongoing record that is safe from facility floods or fires and misplacement of paper test results

EMRs: Cause for Concern?

While there are numerous advantages to switching from paper-based to electronic medical record systems, there is always cause for concern. The disadvantages may, if not considered and mitigated, lead to patient injuries. Primary concerns include the addition of significant amounts of time to doctors' already busy schedules, which could potentially compromise patient care or lead to an increase in errors.

Other concerns about electronic medical records include:
- Attention drawn away from patients -- many computer systems require doctors to turn away from patients, which could lead to missed signs and symptoms of the patients' illnesses or be interpreted as a rude bedside manner
- Online forms being too complex -- drop down menus and check boxes may make it difficult to locate information in the system. Many EMRs are also template driven, so mistakenly choosing the wrong template could lead to substandard care, injuries and incomplete information.
- System downtime -- if a computer system was being updated or has crashed and wasn't available during emergencies, the inability to access medical history could result in patient harm
- Security risks -- too many internal system users having access or external hackers gaining unauthorized access could compromise patients' personal information
- Data integrity -- as with most electronic systems, there are the risks of lost data, inaccurate data entry or improper corrections to records, all of which can have a detrimental effect on patient treatment

After studying an existing EMR system, the Joint Committee, Senator Charles Grassley's office (R-IA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the a list of critical errors, including:
- A computer glitch that systematically gave adult doses of medication to children
- Faulty software that miscalculated intracranial pressures and mixed up kilograms and pounds
- A disconnected IT program (disconnected during an upgrade to the system) that lead to incorrect dosing
- Five people who were misdiagnosed with herpes due to a software bug

According to Quantros Inc., data gathered from 379 hospitals, there were 133,662 medication errors in 2008. Of those, 27,969 were due in part to computers -- one in five. According to the same data, paper-based errors resulted in only 10,954 errors.

Have You Been Injured by a Medical Mistake?

While EMRs bring the promise of benefits to the medical community, concerns remain. Like most new advances in technology, it will likely take a while for all potential problems to be solved.

Whether a medical provider uses EMRs or not, unfortunately, medical errors and mistakes still occur. If you or a loved one has been the injured due to the carelessness of a doctor, nurse or hospital, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney to discuss your situation. An attorney can help you explore all of your legal options, help make sure you find the care you need, and help you seek compensation for pain and suffering, additional medical expenses, and lost earnings.

Article provided by Biancheria & Maliver, P.C.
Visit us at www.bem-law.com


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Virginia DUI Penalties Among Toughest in Nation

2010-10-31
Motorists on Virginia's scenic roads take note: if you drive under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs (even legal prescription medications if they have a sedating effect), you will be caught, and you will face stiff penalties. Virginia's lawmakers have taken a firm stance against impaired driving in an attempt to slow the tide of DUI-related crashes, injuries and fatalities -- an alcohol-related crash occurs about every two minutes somewhere in America, and every half an hour someone dies in one. Virginia's DUI laws are no-nonsense and provide some of the most ...

No-Fault Divorce Comes to New York

2010-10-31
With a flick of the pen, Governor David Paterson has ended New York's holdout as the only state in the union to disallow no-fault divorce. Prior to the signing of the law, which took effect October 12th, New Yorkers were able to divorce only by proving fault for abandonment, adultery, cruelty or imprisonment. There was, however, a way for couples to divorce without fault prior to the new law. This required couples to enter into a separation agreement and live apart for at least one year. The catch with this option comes in the agreement; couples had to agree on all of ...

Do No Harm; If A Doctor Does, They Need To Admit To Conduct That Injures

2010-10-31
Hippocrates insisted that "The physician must...have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm." It is with the faith that their physicians will "do good" or at least "do no harm" that patients seek out medical care. Recent studies have indicated that physicians are poorly trained in matters of patient safety and practice in an environment that often work against the wellbeing of those seeking their expertise. A recent study by the National Patient Safety Foundation noted that medical schools today focus principally on providing ...

The Use of Skype Ordered in Family Court

2010-10-31
For people in family court, staying in touch, especially via court-ordered visitation arrangements, can be a challenge. But some courts are implementing new high-tech approaches to address old family law issues. A New York judge recently ruled that as a condition of her out-of-state move away to Florida, a Long Island mother must make her two children available to talk to their father through Skype, an online video conferencing service. Although this was the first time such a condition has been ordered in New York, a number of other states have begun experimenting with ...

The Rise of Gray Divorce

2010-10-31
The Baby Boomer generation gave us the summer of love and a break from some of the traditions of the previous generations. Now it appears the Baby Boomer generation is also giving us a normalization of divorce, especially later in life. Despite an overall decline in the United States divorce rate, divorces among those married 20, 30 and even 40 years appear to be on the rise. According to Erica Manfred, a New York divorce expert, this rising number of splits between long-married couples is referred to as "gray divorce." Gray Divorce Statistics While not specifically ...

Megan's Law: The Sex-Offender Registry in New Jersey

2010-10-31
In 1994, the Registration and Community Notification Laws (RCNL), more commonly known as Megan's Law, was enacted in response to the public's demand for more information on the identity and residence of previously convicted sex offenders who are considered a possible threat to the safety of others in the community. Megan's Law created a state registry of sex offenders, a similar Internet registry and a community notification procedure to alert the public when state officials deem it necessary for public safety. The law requires continual registration from people convicted ...

NY Requires Interlocks and Imposes Increased Penalties on DWI Offenders

2010-10-31
On August 15, Leandra's Law -- also called the Child Passenger Protection Act -- went into effect. Leandra's Law is named for 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who died last October after she was thrown from a car driven by a drunk driver. The law requires that those convicted of drunk driving, including first time offenders, install interlock devices in their vehicles. The interlock device is a breath test that disables the ignition of the vehicle if it detects a trace of alcohol. According to statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), locations ...

A New Big Rig Danger: Bogus Medical Checks for Truckers

2010-10-31
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has responsibility in several important areas: investigating the causes of accidents involving trains, aircraft, and a variety of other vehicles and vessels; promoting transportation safety; and helping victims of transportation-related accidents as well as the families of fatal accident victims. One important aspect of this mission is the board's oversight of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which directly regulates commercial trucks, buses and other vehicles to prevent fatal truck accidents and catastrophic ...

Driving by Gender: Who Causes More Motor Vehicle Accidents?

2010-10-31
It's a debate as old as the internal combustion engine and the advent of headlights: Are women better drivers than men, or vice versa? While media stereotypes once led to the acceptance of "woman driver" as an inherently critical label, the truth is that men are significantly more likely to get into crashes. This fact has long been known by the insurance company actuaries who set policy rates for individuals, but the precise differences are well described in recent statistics. On the high end, the New York Times reported in August on a city traffic study that revealed ...

Excising the Gall Bladder: The Risks of 'Band-Aid' Surgery

2010-10-31
In routine gall bladder surgery, the surgeon mistakenly punctures the patient's aorta, a major artery supplying oxygen-rich blood to the body. The patient is 20-year-old Airman Colton Reid. His fiance watches as Reid's feet turn blue from lack of blood flow; yet there are more than eight hours of delay before Reid is transferred from the teaching hospital at Travis Air Force Base to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where Reid can get adequate treatment. Because of the lack of blood flow from the punctured aorta, and the delay, doctors at UC Davis are ultimately forced ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

A threesome that hatches potato parasites

Young people discover the technologies shaping their future in the World Economic Forum and Frontiers for Young Minds collection

Real-time 3D visualization reveals potent antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against superbacteria

Abnormal uterine bleeding and insulin resistance are on the rise: Is there a connection?

Eye wear breakthrough: MXene-coated lenses for safer and smarter wearables

‘AI scientist’ suggests combinations of widely available non-cancer drugs can kill cancer cells

Phage therapy at a turning point: Global experts converge in Berlin to shape the future of antimicrobial medicine

Low calorie diets linked to heightened risk of depressive symptoms

Bronchiolitis, monoclonal antibody halves hospitalizations of children younger than six months old

Mum’s obesity linked to child’s heightened hospital admission risk for infection

Millions of new solar system objects to be found and ‘filmed in technicolor’ – studies predict

Pitt study has upended decades-old assumptions about brain plasticity

Hertz Foundation partners with Analog Devices to empower future leaders in analog, digital and software technology solutions

Would you hand over your health data if it meant better care?

Study examines how well wearable tech tracks fitness metrics

Dr. Nikolaos Koundouros wins 2025 Tri-Institutional Breakout Award

Low vs. High blood pressure avoidance in non-cardiac surgery: Neurocognitive outcomes unchanged

Telehealth can improve care for cats with chronic health issues

Researchers develop innovative model to study sense of smell

Birds may be drinking on the wing, but in moderation

Collaboration can unlock Australia’s energy transition without sacrificing natural capital

Study identifies proteins involved in the effectiveness of immunotherapy against blood cancer

Cannabis extract could treat fungal diseases

Pancreatic cancer spreads to liver or lung thanks to this protein

Eating an array of smaller fish could be nutrient-dense solution to overfishing

Han studying potential of next generation telepresence

Emory study finds molecular link between air pollution and pregnancy risks

Controlling bacteria with light: from tackling antibiotic resistance to “bacterial robots”

Johns Hopkins study shows how scientists can use black holes as supercolliders

Being incarcerated and living in areas where more have gone to jail is associated with higher death rates

[Press-News.org] Shift From Paper to Electronic Medical Records: Cause for Concern?
From banking and managing finances to shopping and ordering pizza, almost everything these days is done electronically.