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Although electronic health records (EHRs) are designed to improve patient safety, they have been associated with serious patient harm. An agreed-upon and standard taxonomy for classifying health information technology (HIT) related patient safety events does not exist.

This study demonstrates application of human factors methods for understanding causes for lack of timely follow-up of abnormal test results ("missed results") in outpatient settings.

We address the challenges of transitioning from one electronic health record (EHR) to another-a near ubiquitous phenomenon in health care. We offer mitigating strategies to reduce unintended consequences, maximize patient safety, and enhance health care delivery.

Board certified clinical informaticians provide expertise in leveraging health IT (HIT) and health data for patient care and quality improvement. Clinical Informatics experts possess the requisite skills and competencies to make systems-level improvements in care delivery using HIT, workflow and data analytics, knowledge acquisition, clinical decision support, data visualization, and related informatics tools. However, these physicians lack structured and sustained funding because they have no billing codes. The sustainability and [...]

Suboptimal information display in electronic health records (EHRs) is a notorious pain point for users. Designing an effective display is difficult, due in part to the complex and varied nature of clinical practice.

Patients often seek medical treatment among different health care organizations, which can lead to redundant tests and treatments. One electronic health record (EHR) platform, Epic Systems, uses a patient linkage tool called Care Everywhere (CE), to match patients across institutions. To the extent that such linkages accurately identify shared patients across organizations, they would hold potential for improving care.

Provider organizations increasingly allow incorporation of patient-generated data into electronic health records (EHRs). In 2015, we began allowing patients to upload data to our EHR without physician orders, which we henceforth call patient-initiated data (PAIDA). Syncing wearable heart rate monitors to our EHR allows for uploading of thousands of heart rates per patient per week, including many abnormally low and high rates. Physician informaticists expressed concern that physicians and their [...]

Processes for delivery of high-risk infusions in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) are complex. Standard concentration infusions (SCIs), smart-pumps, and electronic prescribing are recommended medication error reduction strategies. Implementation rates in Europe lag behind those in the United States. Since 2012, the PICU of an Irish tertiary pediatric hospital has been using a smart-pump SCI library, interfaced with electronic infusion orders (Philips ICCA). The incidence of infusion errors is unknown.

The collection of race, ethnicity, and language (REaL) data from patients is advocated as a first step to identify, monitor, and improve health inequities. As a result, many health care institutions collect patients' preferred languages in their electronic health records (EHRs). These data may be used in clinical care, research, and quality improvement. However, the accuracy of EHR language data are rarely assessed.

Care-management tools are typically utilized for chronic disease management. Sonoma County government agencies employed advanced health information technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and interagency process improvements to help transform health and health care for socially disadvantaged groups and other displaced individuals.