The Default Problem for EMRs

Leaving systems on default settings has been a big problem for computer users when it comes to peer to peer programs and even major networks.

Now add to the list electronic medical records. According to a Palm Beach Post News article:

a Boca Raton obstetrician/gynecologist failed to tell his patient about abnormal pap smear results on several occasions, in part because the computer defaulted to an old "normal" test result.

The young woman went nearly four years without knowing she had bad pap smears. She developed cancer and had to have her uterus and ovaries removed. She told the board she'll never be able to have children.

Dr. Steven Rosenberg, a dermatologist in West Palm Beach who sits on the Florida Board of Medicine, said the EMR system the doctor used was partly to blame:

"I think the Department of Health needs to put out a warning to physicians that they need to look at their programs' default settings," Rosenberg said. "This year we have seen as many if not more medical records violations from electronic medical records as we saw from hand-written records violations."

Rosenberg supports medical records but believes training on how to use the systems isn't being emphasized enough. According to Healthcare IT News:

Rosenberg said many EMRs default to "normal" settings unless the doctor actually checks something else. Because doctors rarely review what the report generates (unless someone requests it) it sits in the computer, and it is assumed that the information generated is correct.