Advantages of telehealth nursing include:
Disadvantages of telehealth nursing include:
The electronic health record, also called EHR, flags significant lab results and sends notifications to health care providers to perform tasks like scheduling follow-up client appointments. An e-iatrogenic error is an illness or injury partly due to mistakes related to using health information technologies like EHRs. They often result from system-related issues stemming from flaws in developing the system and user-related issues from inefficient workflows.
The most common e-iatrogenic errors occur from improper medication ordering, management, and administration. This can happen from ordering within the wrong chart or omitting medications on discharge orders, as well as selecting the inappropriate medication, dose, route, or frequency. Other e-iatrogenic errors include those related to diagnosis and treatment, such as an EHR not sending an alert about a client's critically low white blood cell count. Errors like this can cause a delay in treatment.
Though e-iatrogenic errors that result in serious harm are rare, health care providers can minimize these unintended consequences by remaining vigilant and recognizing situations where they can occur. First, exercise clinical judgment and inquire more thoroughly about any data and information that may seem abnormal or inconsistent, such as continuing anticoagulant medication for a client admitted for gastrointestinal bleeding. In the event of any delays, follow up on ordered tests, medications, and services.
Second, exercise caution in scenarios involving the use of both paper and electronic systems, such as during the transition to EHRs or any unexpected EHR downtime. Keep accurate and complete information readily available so it may be accessed as quickly as possible. Third, use health information technologies only as tools to aid in clinical care, as these tools may not always work as intended.
Lastly, avoid workarounds by limiting the use of the copy and paste function, remaining consistent in documentation across all clients, and paying careful attention to any alerts and notifications. To recap, e-iatrogenic events are client illnesses or injuries related to the use of health information technologies. Minimizing these events requires exercising clinical judgment and constant vigilance.
Authored by Cindy Ebner, MSN, RN, CPHRM, FASHRM and Colleen Harris Marzilli, PhD, DNP, MBA, RN-BC, CCM, PHNA-BC, NEA-BC, FNAP
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