The electronic medical record in anesthesiology: a standard of quality healthcare and patient safety

Excerpt

The electronic medical record (EMR) is increasingly being used to replace the paper anesthetic record in the operating room, and it is evident that it is not far from becoming a standard of care. The literature is rich in demonstrating its acceptability and ease of use, even if a certain time for adaptation is often necessary after its implementation. Furthermore, the use of the EMR as a clinical decision support tool is expected to enhance patient care and safety, which is also increasingly being highlighted in the current literature. Indeed, in this issue of the Journal, Hincker et al. show how improvements in compliance with guidelines for repeat cefazolin administration in the perioperative period can be made by adding inexpensive nonintrusive interventions to the EMR.1 In their before-and-after cohort analysis, they showed that this was achieved through the use of a simple bar on the EMR monitor that displayed continuously from the start of the initial antibiotic dosing and ended 15 min before subsequent doses were indicated. Such a straightforward adjustment to the EMR management software can have a direct effect on a practitioner’s adherence to practice guidelines and could ultimately impact patient safety. Importantly, however, there are other areas in the EMR besides those related to antibiotic administration that could also be modified to improve patient safety.2 …