Many have used the copy and paste function on a computer in order to save time and make their task easier. With the fast pace that occurs in Pennsylvania hospitals, as well as the increased use of Electronic Health Records, many medical charts are being updated by using the copy and paste method. Too often it turns out that copied information is no longer relevant in a patient's case, and this can easily result in hospital negligence.

Sometimes doctors catch mistakes on a chart when they get to the point where a note is obviously illogical, but if it isn't caught patients might continue to get medication that was supposed to be discontinued, or an incorrect medical status could be communicated to family members. In some cases patients have even been returned to surgery because of a copied note.

Despite the potential seriousness of an outcome tied to the practice, it is all too common for those updating charts to copy and paste. A 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association revealed that 78 percent of sign out notes had been copied and pasted, and 54 percent of notes on progress being made were also copied.

On doctor has a proposal on how EHR could possibly be handled. He calls for the notes to be handled in a more collaborative manner such as the way that Wikipedia is structured. He believes this would remove duplicate information and make a record easier to read. Just how effective that approach would be could be determined soon as the doctor is hoping to pilot the approach.

Source: Amednews.com, "EHRs: "Sloppy and paste" endures despite patient safety risk," Kevin B. O'Reilly, Feb. 4, 2013

Medical malpractice cases can arise in a variety of settings for a variety of reasons. Our firm provides counsel in these types of matters. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our page that focuses on Pittsburgh hospital negligence.