A new toolkit advises providers how to appropriately use copy-and-paste functions in the EHR.
The toolkit was released at HIMSS16 by the ECRI Institute's Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety, and it is slated to be the first in a series of evidence-based recommendations to improve health IT safety.
Copy-and-paste functions in EHRs have long been questioned as a shortcut that can lead to inaccuracies and patient safety threats in electronic records.
The Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety worked with a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to develop the following four best practices and recommendations for copying and pasting health information in EHRs.
1. Make copy-and-paste material easily identifiable.
2. Ensure it is easy to access the original material and information that is being copied and pasted.
3. Provide adequate staff training and education about safe and appropriate use of copy and paste.
4. Regularly monitor, measure and assess copy and paste.
"I hope the toolkit will stimulate discussions about safe practices, so that all of the stakeholders, including frontline staff, are aware of what the current copy and paste practices are, what the rationale is when using copy and paste and then how to best maintain the accuracy and reliability of the record when reusing information," said Lorraine Possanza, ECRI Institute's senior patient safety, risk and quality analyst.
For more information and to access the toolkit, click here.
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