The Effect of Electronic Medical Record Adaptation on Reported Medication Errors in Peripartum Care Areas

Abstract

Study Background: The purpose of this before-and-after study was to evaluate if adopting an electronic medical record affected reported medication errors on peripartum obstetrical wards at one hospital. Methods: A retrospective study of provider reported errors was conducted over a five-year period which included electronic record implementation. The error rate was calculated as the number of errors/patient days. Relative risk was calculated, and Chi-squared analysis was used to compare the proportion of errors before and after electronic record adoption. Results: The error rate was the same before and after implementation. After implementation, more errors were reported on the labor and delivery ward and fewer from the ante/postpartum ward; however, this was likely only transient. Conclusion: Implementation of an electronic medical record did not reduce overall medication error reporting rates.