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Multicenter Study
. 2010 Jan-Feb;17(1):104-7.
doi: 10.1197/jamia.M3294.

Unintended errors with EHR-based result management: a case series

Thomas R Yackel  1 , Peter J Embi
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Unintended errors with EHR-based result management: a case series

Thomas R Yackel et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2010 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Test result management is an integral aspect of quality clinical care and a crucial part of the ambulatory medicine workflow. Correct and timely communication of results to a provider is the necessary first step in ambulatory result management and has been identified as a weakness in many paper-based systems. While electronic health records (EHRs) hold promise for improving the reliability of result management, the complexities involved make this a challenging task. Experience with test result management is reported, four new categories of result management errors identified are outlined, and solutions developed during a 2-year deployment of a commercial EHR are described. Recommendations for improving test result management with EHRs are then given.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None.

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