Running head: the dangers of EHR systems 1

The Dangers of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Systems

Keanu Gomez

University of Kentucky
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Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) are nowadays a common way to store patient medical

information. In fact, EHRs are becoming the primary ways that this information is stored.

Despite the seemingly convenient functions and facilitation they perform, they still have the

tendency to malfunction. In addition, these systems are resulting in nurses overreliance on their

functionality. They are losing the basic skills that were traditionally taught in nursing school.

This can lead to medical accidents and medical malpractice. These systems are also not universal

and nurses have to continually adapt to different systems used in different hospitals. They also

hold the tendency to leak sensitive medical information and violate the Health Insurance

Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Keywords: EHRs, EMRs, electronic health records, nursing, HIPAA, healthcare,

medicine
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The Dangers of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Systems

Emerging medical technologies have enhanced the quality of patient care, however in the

case of electronic health records systems (EHRs), the complete opposite is true. (See figure 1.)

Current medical centers who have adopted EHRs, including the University of Kentucky, should

temporarily discontinue their use until the following issues have been resolved. Electronic health

records systems, despite their seemingly advantageous nature, have resulted in an increase in an

overreliance in technology, caused invasions of patient privacy, and differ from hospital to

hospital.

Technology can generally provide more accurate results and medical data, but they have

resulted in an overreliance from nurses and physicians alike. Since the technology is still fairly

new, nurses have displayed a tendency to overly depend on it (Elgin, 2015). These EHRs have

certain features that can simplify and assist in patient care, for example, some EHRs can send

notifications to nurses and remind them whenever its time to change a patients antibiotic IV

bags. Although at first glance these advances may seem to facilitate more accurate and timely

medical care, it is completely dangerous. Once these systems are adopted and used in a clinical

setting, traditional nursing training and techniques suddenly become disregarded and forgotten.

After these systems become commonplace, nurses tend to stop committing the same mental

energy used in the past for executing a to-do list (Duffy, 2015). Since technology is not always

functional, when the notification system malfunctions, there is no backup for the nurses. It will

inevitably result in a lower quality of patient care and may even yield a patients death.
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Figure1.AninfographicdetailingthevariousproblemsregardingEHRsystems.
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Electronic health records systems are unreliable simply because they do have the

tendency to malfunction. Whether it be an internet crash or a security breach, many things would

prevent proper access to these files. Going along with the possibility of network hacks, EHRs are

a system that houses all the medical files of a hospital, or group of hospitals. It is a united system

wherein nurses and physicians can access the files of a person with just the click of a button.

Although this indeed seems very convenient, the unity of the system also implies that one

hacking attack could potentially release all of the files stored in that system. Similarly, a

healthcare provider could easily search for a patient file who is not even their own patient. Duffy

states that EHRs enable high-efficiency snooping (Duffy, 2015, p.64). Although the access to

medical files can be tracked and identified, unauthorized access can only be found through

routine examination, something that is not actively being performed (Thede, 2010). Unless

permission is explicitly granted for this access, it is considered a violation of the Health

Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It is a complete and utter invasion of

patient privacy, which more than likely, will not even be detected.

Other than the faults and shortcomings of the EHR systems themselves, there is no single,

universal EHR system used by all hospitals. Each hospital selects and adopts a specific system.

As healthcare providers, especially nurses who may travel and work at different hospitals, having

to learn those different systems becomes an extremely cumbersome process. It is not only

cumbersome, but it will also result in confusion and ultimately, erroneous patient charting. These

systems have a steep learning curve and many nurses have reported to have low comfort levels

with these systems (Eisenberg, 2010). As a part of current nursing training, modern nurses are

also being trained to use EHR systems (Burke 2016). They are being trained to incorporate the

systems to their everyday tasks. Although at first glance this may seem to be advantageous, by
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taking the time to teach nurses how to use technology, it takes time away from teaching other

more important clinical skills and practice(Kowitlawakul et al. 2015).

These EHR systems clearly can assist with patient care, but they still have too many

flaws. These systems are not cheap either. They are considerably expensive, since they require

new IT staff, new equipment, and software developers (Sullivan, 2015). The University of

Kentucky should not invest a considerable amount of money in a technology that does not

guarantee an increase in the quality of patient care, in fact, it invites more room for error. In

addition to the main disadvantages aforementioned, many patients have even reported that the

use of EHRs have decreased the amount of direct patient-provider interaction since EHRs require

nurses to stare intently at a screen (Dianne, 2005). (See figure 2.)

Figure 2. A registered nurse enters patient information into an EHR system after a patient

surgery. It serves to display the lack of face-to-face interaction. Retrieved from

https://www.mercy.net/2011-01-11/leading-the-way.

The world is inevitably evolving; and this not only invites technology, but it is starting to

require it. As the world demands efficiency and accuracy, we see the implementation of robots
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and genetic engineering, but not all of these advances are necessary in the healthcare field.

Nursing and its related medical careers feed on human flexibility and knowledge application.

There is no simple equation or algorithm to administer the countless methods of patient care. If

technology, like EHRs, are used in todays unpredictable society, then we are only inviting lapses

and failures in patient care. As a university that strives to provide the most advanced patient care,

I implore you to uphold that mission and realize why EHR systems are impeding that goal.
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References

A nurse in the recovery room [Online image]. (2011). Retrieved from

https://www.mercy.net/2011-01-11/leading-the-way

Burke, M. S., & Ellis, D. M. (2016). Electronic health records: Describing technological

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Diane, M., Andre, T., Daniel, P., Line, R., Luc, M., Aline V, z., & ... Martin, B. (2005). Seniors'

views on the use of electronic health records. Informatics in primary care, 13, 125-133.

Duffy, M. (2015). Nurses and the migration to electronic health records. The American Journal

Of Nursing, 115, 61-66. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000475294.12738.83

Eisenberg, S. (2010). Electronic Medical Records. ONS Connect, 25, 8-11.

Elgin, K. H., & Bergero, C. (2015). Technology and the bedside nurse: an exploration and review

of implications for practice. The Nursing Clinics Of North America, 50, 227-239.

doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2015.02.001

Kowitlawakul, Y., Chan, S. C., Pulcini, J., & Wang, W. (2015). Factors influencing nursing

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Sullivan, D. H. (2015). Technological advances in nursing care delivery. The Nursing Clinics Of

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